Interview with Darkfire Wolfe, 1st Adult Rainbow Brite Cosplayer

1: Where are you from, and what do you do?

Darkfire Wolfe: I live in Georgia and that is where I have spent my whole life. I was born in Atlanta and other than about five years in Athens, Georgia, I have lived here. I am currently finishing up my Ph.D. in psychology and I hope to be finished by August of this year (2011). I have been working at the university while taking classes (and that’s why I have not made any new costumes in quite some time).

2: Do you have a favorite color?

Darkfire Wolfe: I have a hard time with “favorite” any things. I am more of a fan of top 5 lists, because I just cannot pick one thing out of a group. So my two favorite colors are black and lilac.

3: Do you have a hidden talent?

Darkfire Wolfe: I don’t think I have a hidden talent – as my artistic sense is my talent. I have a lot of skills, and I make a big distinction between skill and talent. But I do have a really good idea for color and a really good sense of smell.

4: If you could have a super power, what would it be?

Darkfire Wolfe: Teleportation, for sure. It would save a ton of time being able to just blip from one place to another. However, I know I would not use it when traveling too much – because the journey is part of the fun.

5: Where do you find the most of your inspiration when you create things?

Darkfire Wolfe: For comic, game, or anime things, I get a lot of inspiration from art books, where the artist can explore other ways to dress or show the character. In general though, I get a lot of inspiration from other artists, particularly from the fashion world, and from nature itself.

A lot of your costumes are based on comics, games and animated shows. What are some costumes you haven’t created yet, that you are looking forward to?
Once I have time to sew costumes again, I hope to do a Magic Knights RayEarth group with some friends of mine. It is an older anime, but it is one of my favorite. I also would really like to do a female Captain Hook soon and some more original designs.

6: How long have you been sewing?

Darkfire Wolfe: I have been sewing since I was a small child. My mother started me on counted cross-stitch when I was about 4 years old. I started sewing pillows and potholders in elementary school and upgraded to clothes in late middle school.

7: Other then costumes, what are some of the other things you have created that you are most proud of?

Darkfire Wolfe: A little know fact about my costume work, is that I’ve also created most of the wigs I wear. I am most proud of my Mana wig from Malice Mizer’s Shiroi music video. I love that wig – and I’ve been known to wear it alone without the costume.

As far as non-costume creations, I do a lot of photography and I do mixed media art. I was fortunate enough to take a class at my university in the textile’s department on dyeing fabrics. As a final project, I created four large wall hangings – one for each season in the style of Alphonse Mucha (but with male companions). I adore them. One hangs in my house and I rotate each season. I am also proud of some of my recent paintings, which I work on when I can find some time. They are display ready yet, though.

8: Do you have a favorite costume you have created?

Darkfire Wolfe: I do not know that I have an absolute favorite. I’ve made a point not to make costumes for myself for characters or shows I do not like – that way, each costume is special and they all have important memories. I think some of my favorites to wear are the ones that are easy to move around and easily recognizable.

9: Were you a Rainbow Brite fan as a child? If so, what are some collectibles you used to own or perhaps still own?

Darkfire Wolfe: Absolutely! I really liked Rainbow Brite and would pretend to be her or the other characters when I would play by myself or with friends at school. I did not have a lot of the toys, though. I had a Rainbow Brite doll, which did not survive childhood. But my dad would buy me color sheets or cards or puzzles, and some of those I still have. I think I have a lunchbox around here somewhere, too. A few years ago I started cleaning out my 80s toys and either giving them to children who might play with them or selling them on Ebay. My house is just too full to keep them all in the attic.

10: What can you tell us about the construction of your Rainbow Brite Costume?

Darkfire Wolfe:

Construction
This was a difficult costume to make. I had to merge together two different patterns for the dress and the boot covers and sleeve patterns were done by hand. I really wanted the fullest skirt I could get, so that meant a crinoline (which my mom hand stitched rainbow colored ribbon around each layer). The stuffing in the sleeves was difficult to get right, because they had to be full enough to have some poof, but not so full that I couldn’t move my arms. Also, the belt had to be reinforced so that it would close and give my body some shape. Overall, it took a lot of work and experimenting, and even though it was incredibly hot to wear (only my face, hands, and knees are not covered), I really love how it turned out.

11: What is the best way to store your costume? Is it hard to clean?

Darkfire Wolfe: I store all my costumes in plastic garment bags and then hang them in my costume closet. If pieces are too big for that, they go in plastic tubs or boxes. They are all very hard to clean and either have to be washed by hand or spot treated.

12: Where do you think is the best place to find materials? (store/make them yourself)

Darkfire Wolfe: I think it’s best to go to fabric stores and see what your options are first. It’s always easier to alter something, if you can find something close. Now that I know how to dye fabric and transfer some patterns, I will probably make more of my materials – but I will always check the store first.

13: If there was something you could have done differently with your costume, what would be?

Darkfire Wolfe: The wig gave me a lot of trouble and I made it before I really knew how to make a good pony-tail wig. I would probably have done a lot differently with the wig if I were to make it today.

14: If you could do another costume from the Rainbow Brite world, what other character would you do?

Darkfire Wolfe: A few years after I made the traditional Rainbow Brite costume, I made costumes from the “raver” style Rainbow Brite. I made myself the Rainbow, my partner Buddy Blue, and two of my friends the Patty O’Green and the Red Butler. It was a lot of fun to wear.

I think if I was going to do it again, I might do Stormy. She was always a favorite character of mine, even though you rarely saw her.

15: Of the mass-produced costumes, which do you think have the most promise, and which do you think miss the mark.

Darkfire Wolfe: The Legs Avenue one is the one I see the most often, and while it’s sexy, it really doesn’t have a lot of the typical parts of the costume. I saw another one that is less “sexy” and more like the costume. However, I think one of the problems with most mass-produced costumes is that it’s like buying clothes off-the-rack, they just do not always fit well.

16: Have you seen the newly designed Rainbow Brite? What do you think of her?

Darkfire Wolfe: I have, and I am not a fan. While I really like how much more attention MoonGlow is getting and that they all have horses, I am not a fan of the redesigned Rainbow Brite costume (what’s up with her color belt?). I think the mini-cartoons on the Hallmark website are cute, because I don’t mind them being more teenagers, but the body style and heads on the dolls are weird. Also, where are they other color kids??

RB.Co.Uk/.Us: Darkfire Wolfe, thank you so much for taking the time to interview with us and perhaps answer some questions about your very will done costume. We look forward to seeing more from you in the future!

Content © RainbowBrite.Co/Co.Uk/.Us 2011

Darkfire Wolfe’s Images used with permission