How Steff von Schweetz Brought Anime Chic from Screen to Vegas Streets

By Shainna Alipon | Photos by Tyler Boshard

Having been a fan of Steff von Schweetz for the last decade, I agonized over my outfit for our interview. Yet, my bright jumpsuit was no match for Steff’s effortless style. On this 110-degree summer day, they were wearing a short black dress paired with a corset on top. Gold accents on their corset matched their metallic-tipped claws. I almost didn’t recognize them as they sat down at the Bespoke Kitchen All Day Cafe. I was used to seeing them in colorful wigs and outfits of anime and video game characters — outfits they created themselves.

Stephanie, who goes by Steff online, is a professional sewist and cosplayer. The word ‘cosplay’ is a portmanteau of “costume play,” where artists “dress in costumes and make-up, representing characters from anime, video games, television and film,” according to the University of Montana Library. Cosplay is more than just playing dress up — cosplayers are encouraged to embrace the identity of the characters and pretend to be them.

Steff discovered the sprawling world of cosplay through Wikipedia in 2003. Growing up a self-described “weird kid,” they were always into nerdy things like cartoons, video games, and anime. In high school, a friend invited them to attend Anime Expo, the biggest anime convention in the United States. Unfamiliar with anime conventions, Steff dove deep into its Wikipedia page.

They discovered the page for “cosplay,” and a door was flung wide open for them. “I was like, ‘this is a thing? Oh my God, this is it!’ and I literally ran over to my mom’s room,” they recalled with a laugh.

Steff told her mom,“We have to do this thing. I’m already committed. And she was down. She cosplayed with me.” Their mother was a costume enthusiast herself. She took Halloween, school spirit days, and any other opportunity to dress up very seriously. The transition to cosplaying was a natural progression in Steff’s life.

“I [attended Anime Expo] for one day and it literally changed my entire life, and somehow I’m still doing it,” they said.

And I completely understand. Those convention halls are filled with brightly-colored costumes of characters I recognize, with people who share my passion for niche Japanese animation, and with vendors who sell rare merchandise that I long to own — anime conventions changed my life just as much as it changed Steff’s.

Steff grew up in Northern California but moved to Las Vegas ten years ago. They became active in the Vegas anime community in 2006 when they attended Anime Vegas, a now-retired convention that began in 2004. Having had an amazing time, they returned again in 2008 and found themselves judging the cosplay contest after another judge had to drop out last-minute. It went so well that the convention had them come back and judge multiple years in a row before they officially moved to Vegas.

While Vegas’ anime community wasn’t the main reason why they moved here, it was a huge part of their career and a stepping stone to becoming a professional sewist.

“So much of me getting better and doing more work in the cosplay sphere happened because of Anime Vegas,” Steff said. “My first judging experience and my first Best in Show win...those are monumental for me and one of the reasons I kept pushing and growing and meeting new people.”

“Best in Show” is the most prestigious award a cosplayer can win in a cosplay contest. It highlights a costume as one with the best craftsmanship out of all the competitors. From competing to judging, Steff has participated in many of the city’s anime conventions. Some are no longer in operation, like Anime Vegas and Sabakon, while newer ones thrive, like Lvl Up Expo and Sin City Anime.

“It’s just crazy seeing how much Lvl Up has grown,” Steff said, reflecting on one of the biggest anime and video game conventions in Vegas. “It was super tiny at the Cashman [Convention] Center and it was only two days versus a full three days. I remember talking to Colten, who’s the owner, and he didn’t even know how to go about cosplay guests.”

Conversely, they went on to say that a lot of anime conventions take cosplayers for granted. Professional cosplayers will be asked to run panels, judge contests, and be present at booths interacting with fans all day in costume without any compensation. And this doesn’t even factor in the money, time, and effort spent to create high-quality costumes to present at conventions.

“I’ve been in situations where they book me all day and don’t provide food breaks, let alone an actual meal,” Steff said. “This wouldn’t happen to a voice actor or any other industry guest but it’s frequently done to cosplayers.”

Steff emphasized that cosplayers aren’t just regular attendees; they are dedicated and should be honored and compensated properly at conventions.

These days, Steff has relaxed on professional cosplaying to focus more on sewing. It was never in the original pipeline, but they now aim to start their own fashion brand someday (the Vivienne Westwood purse on their arm is a testament to their eye for style). They started sewing professionally and making costumes in 2017 after they went viral for a Wendy cosplay when the fast-food chain was known for its playful aggressiveness on social media.

“I just posted these two selfies [of] smug Wendy and they were on the front page of Reddit all of a sudden. I had never gone viral, ever, for anything,” they recalled with a laugh. “A girl wanted to do a [suggestive] parody because it was very popular at the time.”

This marked the beginning of their work creating costumes for their current clients: workers in the adult entertainment industry.

“I didn’t necessarily mean to end up in that direction. It was just a very bizarre accident after going viral,” Steff said. “I also work with some local entertainers and performers.”

Reflecting on their friendships within the Vegas anime community, Steff recalled the growth they observed in themselves and in others.

“I’ve seen people literally grow up in Vegas. I’ve seen people’s first costumes and then ten years later they’re off to college,” they said. “I love that people trust me to give them feedback and advice and, like, my opinion means something to them.”

They recalled memories about a group skit in a cosplay contest where their group won a Master Craftsmanship award, and memories of starting a daily vlog channel on Youtube together. While they were slowly distancing themselves from the Vegas anime community, Steff’s discovery of Anime Night Mart brought them back into the fold. Anime Night Mart is smaller than a convention and typically occurs every other month. It started its first event just this year, but is steadily growing in attendance and is rapidly expanding.

“Me and another cosplayer, @hartlessdesigns, run the entire cosplay [contest] division of Night Mart right now,” they said. “We are expanding the contest because we’ve grown so much, so now we have to have different levels like master craftsman versus the novice category.”

Just last year, Steff hit their 20th anniversary of cosplaying. They joked about quitting in honor of the occasion, but I could tell from their smile while talking about Anime Night Mart that they weren’t going to stop anytime soon.

“Go to Anime Night Mart and watch Neon Genesis Evangelion,” they exclaimed with a slap to the table. As their split-dyed, black-and-white bob shook from laughter, the jitters I felt from before were long forgotten. Even though I had admired Steff’s cosplay and fashion since I was a young teen, our discussion over burgers and French toast was a reminder that we are, in fact, kindred spirits in nerdy passions — a sense of camaraderie familiar to most across the anime community.

Steff can be contacted for anime convention appearances from their website, CostumesBySteff.com. Don’t miss their digital runway, @steffvonschweetz_ on Instagram for ultra style inspo.

Cosplay to Couture