Million stitches and real metal armor: How a Cosplayer creates a costume for Comic Con Astana

Cosplayer Olga Khaku from Novosibirsk prepared a a high-detail Lae'zel cosplay from Baldur's Gate 3.  She won a prize of KZT 4.5 mln. The costume took nearly two years to complete, El.kz reports.

Work on the costume began in autumn 2024. Khaku described it as the most challenging project of her career due to the scale of the handcrafted work and the crazy  amount of details involved.

The centerpiece of the costume was the metal “Reaper’s Embrace” armor. The cosplayer was personally involved in metalworking, while the embroidery on natural velvet required hundreds of hours of work and over a  million stitches.

A wig made from natural hair was also produced specifically for the character. The sword was decorated with semi-precious stones, including Dzhambyl Chalcedony.

Olga Khaku has been engaged in cosplay since 2017 and specializes in the creation of highly complex costumes. In her work, she places particular emphasis on character accuracy, the quality of materials and stage presentation.

In 2024, Khaku also took first place at Comic Con Astana. On that occasion, she presented a portrayal of Shadowheart wearing the armor of a Dark Justiciar from the same game universe.

The new costume was created specifically for the Comic Con Astana competition. This year, the competition’s total prize pool amounted to KZT 20 mln .