Morgan is a costume designer from Adelaide/Kaurna land who has mostly worked in film and theatre, but more recently was a garment technician at Cirque Du Soleil Luzia.
She is currently a wardrobe supervisor keeping everyone on time and looking good at Blueys World in Hamilton QLD.
We sat down with Morgan to find out more about her love for craft, costuming and everything in between!
Tell us a little bit about yourselves in relation to craft and cosplay!
I studied a Bachelor of Creative Arts in costume design where I learned how to take my crafting to new levels and apply my skills in different settings. I have been running the Oz Comic-Con Cosplay Central space for about 10 years or so, where I regularly get to see all of the talented cosplayers in each city, and meet new ones trying out the hobby for the first time.
As someone growing up in a creative family, my love for crafts and more importantly my enthusiasm for dressing up was fostered pretty early on. I grew my love of crafting in my teen years and taught myself to sew, making my first costume in 2009.
What was your gateway craft and who got you into creating?
My gateway craft would have to be basic pencil drawings. I love to draw and always have! I remember getting into trouble at school because my homework had too many drawings all over the page. I still hold a strong preference for traditional media and prefer to use Copics and pencils when drawing. My mother is an artist too, with a love for pencil and the occasional acrylic painting. We both enjoy art in different mediums but always enjoy showing each other the latest resin art or embroidery pieces.
How do you think a love of crafting grew into a love for cosplay?
I think that cosplay is only a smaller step from craft. It’s just another genre of crafting. A lot goes into crafting a cosplay. As a textile artist I prefer to sew and enjoy beading and embroidery as my detailing, but most armour costumes are made of foam. Cosplayers mould clay, paint, sculpt and airbrush to achieve accurate replicas of their favourite characters. For me, using my ability to sew to create costumes was when I realized the potential of my hobby to expand my self expression and combine my interests.
Do the two still overlap for you? And what crafts do you enjoy doing outside of cosplay?
They very much overlap. I enjoy bringing new sewing skills into costumes to give them more dimension and personal flare. I also enjoy making things that relate to my costumes but aren’t costume pieces themselves, like jackets or bags inspired by characters. Outside of cosplay I very much enjoy costume illustration, scrapbooking, and embroidery and lately I have been getting into sashiko.
Where can people find out more about you?
I have an instagram @morganthompson.aus
I don’t update very often but I do keep some nice photos of my work when possible. I am also around at Oz Comic-Con and always up for a chat about crafting!
Anything else you would like to say to the craft community and potential first-time cosplayers?
Give it a go! We all start somewhere, and cosplay is a perfect way to learn new skills and be able to show them off! The community is so quick to offer advice and give you a hand but the new experiences you will have learning so many new skills is worth it!
Thank you for taking the time to talk to us Morgan!
You can meet Morgan and amazing cosplayers at Oz Comic-Con Xmas Edition in Melbourne this weekend (December 7 & 8, 2025) at the MCEC.