As the TV shows, movies, and anime continue to emerge every year, the cosplay community is always watching to find their next source of inspiration worth building a costume around.
And with cosplay raking in $4.93 billion in 2023 and on track to grow to $7.76 billion by 2030, you can expect to see more and more costumes out in the wild.
Every year has its big trends in the cosplay world, from 2023’s “Barbie” frenzy to an onslaught of “Demon Slayer” costumes after the wildly popular anime launched in 2021.
To get a feel for what cosplayers may be wearing this year, we turned to award-winning cosplayer Yaya Han to fill us in on what you might see at this year’s conventions.
“When it comes to cosplay trends, I think they do change year to year. Like last year, 2023, was the year of Barbie. It was really unexpected, but also unsurprising at Dragoncon to see a sea of pink,” Han said.
Han regularly appears at Dragoncon, both to speak on cosplay panels and to judge cosplay contests.
What’s Hot in the Cosplay World in 2024
When it comes to keeping an eye on where cosplay trends are going, Han turns to a classic con held in the city she lives in: Dragoncon in Atlanta.
“I use Dragoncon as the litmus test. Whatever I see there, that’s when I’m like, “That (trend) has come true,” or sometimes it’s “That was unexpected!”
For her cosplay fabrics line with JOANN, Han often has to be able to predict trends as far as a year in advance, so she had lots to say about what she expects to pop up in the cosplay scene this year.
“Post-apocalyptic: Fallout, Dune, the new Borderlands is coming out. So I think there’s a lot of interest in grungy, tech suits, etc,” she says.
The next trend will be a delight to anyone who’s ever gotten cozy with a Tolkien novel.
“Another big trend is anything high fantasy. Lord of the Rings, House of the Dragon, D&D, Critical Role,” Han says. “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End” and “Delicious in Dungeon” are anime series that have driven the fantasy trend as well. They are all about adventure parties. So lots of armor, wizard robes, adventure gear.”
Han is personally familiar with that trend, having cosplayed the Frieren the elven mage in 2023, which is when the anime was airing.
Lastly, there’s great news for those still reeling over Colin and Pen’s spicy carriage scene in the third season of “Bridgerton”.
“I think Bridgerton has definitely inspired using really fine fabrics and making these really pretty party outfits,” she says.
In other words, if you’re ready to make your own society debut, there’s no better time than now.