I’m A.K. WIRRU. 
I’m a cosplayer, costume artist and workshop presenter since 2006.
I have been crafting since I was 5 years old when I was really into anime prop replica (specifically those really expensive Sailor Moon transformation brooches and wands…) and my parents told me “why don’t you try making your own?”. It all started from there. My free time since childhood has been spent doing one artistic project or another: prop crafting, music writing, drawing, performing etc.

I started using my skills specifically for Cosplay in 2006. Since that time I was hooked onto the craftsmanship and competitive side of cosplay crafting.
Since then I have won over 70 awards in competitions around Australia and the world in all categories including Best Craftsmanship, Best Skit, Best Cosplay and Best in Show.

In 2010 and 2014, I won the Madman National Cosplay Championship, by producing two costumes and performances each (one to qualify, one for the finals).
In 2017 I won the Australian national championship at OzComiCon to become the Australian representative for the Global Crown Championships of Cosplay in C2E2 2019 in Chicago, where I placed 2nd.

In 2018, straight after C2E2, I teamed up with my long time friend K Cosplay and won our national selection for World Cosplay Summit to become WCS Team Australia this year in Nagoyha, where we won the title of Grand Champion.
…I just have a love-hate relationship with the high pressured environment of competitions!!

My main focus as a cosplayer is to make crafting as accessible to everyone as possible – cosplay is achievable for everybody from the comfort of their homes. The way I do that is by being as diverse and open-minded in my craft as possible. Ie. To not be limited to the proper way of making something, and not limited to one speciality like sewing, prop making or armour building. I love to use and learn whatever skills and medium it takes to achieve my desired result, and sharing it with everyone along the way!

I document many of my projects in the form of instructional books. I’ll have them available with me at the event. Please come check them out!

Outside of cosplay I am a Karate instructor/competitor, casual high school Japanese teacher, aspiring soundtrack composer, and a merciless pun dropper. But let’s be real, all of these things end up getting used in cosplay one way or another in the end so is it really “outside of cosplay”?
My one true love is REM sleep.