Rehn Stillnight Interview (Italian Cosplayer and Metal Vocalist)

Hi Rehn and welcome to Impulse Gamer!

Hello, everybody! It’s an honour and a pleasure for me to get interviewed.

So how did you become a cosplayer?

Well, actually I started thinking about cosplaying my favourite character (Aerith Gainsborough from Final Fantasy VII) when I was still a child. The game came out when I was just 5 years old, and I was so mesmerized by that videogame that I stared for hours at the TV while my older sister played it.

When I saw Aerith, I thought “It would be great to dress up like her!”. Then some years have passed, and when I started surfing the internet, I found some pictures of Adella in her Aerith’s costume… she was awesome, and then I realized I COULD dress like her! So that’s what really got me into cosplay at the beginning… in fact my first cosplay ever is Aerith!

What’s the cosplay scene like in Europe and what are your favourite conventions?

Unfortunately, I’ve never been in a convention outside Italy, so I can only say we are a big Italian family here. We are always searching for perfection and sometimes we get angry if we don’t win some prizes… but that’s good too! I got to know some people while I was really sad because I failed in a competition… these girls I didn’t know came to sit with me and asked me what was going on.

That was awesome, because it really makes you feel part of something big. If you’re sad, someone will come up just to ask you “what’s wrong?” even if it’s the first time you met. I think this is really the cosplay scene in Italy, people of every age, competition and friendship. There’s always someone there to help you. My favourite conventions are Lucca Comics & Games and Rimini Comics… both because they’re far from where me and my friends live, so we have to stay in hotels or apartments all together! That really makes me feel in a whole big family.

Which has been your favourite cosplayer character so far?

I guess I should say Elsa, from Frozen. It was awesome because some children stared at me saying “You’re the real one?” and they asked me for soooo many pictures! Also many adults stop me and were shocked because I have that natural porcelain-pale skin and blue eyes, so I didn’t have foundation nor coloured contacts on, and the lace wig I used felt just like real hair! That really made my day because seven months of hard work paid off!

What about most difficult to create?

One of the most difficult has been Jill Valentine (Battle Suit). It’s a faux leather catsuit made by two different materials, blue/purple leather and black. I have bought a black suit, but I had to modify it with my mom, who always does the hard work (THANKS MOM). We had to sew it by hand because it had to remain elastic, or it couldn’t fit me. Also because I couldn’t find hexagon printed leather… I had to draw every single hexagon with a pen, all over the suit. Even Elsa was LONG and DIFFICULT… everything is handmade, it has more than 3000 sequins on the corset and another 1000 on the cape!

How do you create your costumes?

First of all, I study the outfit, selecting the fabrics which can fit it the most. Then, I choose the wig (if I don’t use my real hair!). Normally I style them myself or I just buy a short or long wig, depending on the character and making sure it’s the right colour. Then I work with my mom on the costume: we do the pattern together, then I cut it, she sews the fabrics, and I do all the accessories, paintings and decorations the costume needs. I always try to stay true to the original character, as I’m not doing an original version of it!

If you could create any costume and you had an unlimited budget in the world who would it be and why?

Armoured Aqua, from Kingdom Hearts (Birth By Sleep)… I have cosplayed her but in her normal version. I love armours and I’ve never tried doing one, but I think hers is one of the most difficult. It fits her body tight, it’s not just a “simple” armour… but I’m actually thinking about really doing it! Hahaha

Besides cosplay, what are some of your hobbies?

I love drawing, I studied art in high school, and watching TV series and anime. Also I love playing RPG’s like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. I’m also a singer, I sing mostly symphonic metal music (like Nightwish) as I’m a soprano lirico. When I have some spare time, I go out running to keep me fit and healthy, and that’s something I really love!

What superpower would you love to have and why?

I’d love to travel in time… I would go back in time to see the birth of everything we consider normal now… then I would go and take a peek at the future! :D I think it would be awesome!

Can you tell us what other costumes you hope to make in 2015 and 2016?

I’m going to make an original Armoured Elf with a friend of mine, then I hope to cosplay Daenerys Targaryen from GoT! !

Which other cosplayers inspire you?

My first inspiration is Adella (I totally love her!). Others are Kamui, Danielle Vedovelli and SweetAngel which I know in real life, she’s a wonderful cosplayer and a beautiful person. But I guess the ones that inspires me the most are my boyfriend (he’s a cosplayer too!), and all my cosplay-friends! Some of them I know for over ten years, so they’re quite like my family!