The Last Bazaar
Costume Designer/Maker based in the UK
I make historical & fantasy costumes for Live Action Roleplay.Rebrand coming soon.
Work
The following is a selection of personal and commission work. The vast majority of items here are fully handmade by myself, though occasionally they are shown worn with existing items from my collection (such as armour, belts, accessories etc or underlayers).
Click on images to enlarge.You can find more examples on my Instagram & Facebook pages.
The Last bazaar story
I graduated from CCAD (now known as The Northern School of Art) in 2012 after completing
FdA Costume Construction for Stage & Screen
followed by
BA (Hons) Entertainment Design Crafts: Costume,I went on to launch my own business making and selling alternative clothing & accessories from March 2013, and opened a small shop unit in my hometown in the Autumn of 2014. I also traded at events such as Whitby Goth Weekend, Leeds Steampunk Market, and
Heresy n Heelz' Alternative & Burlesque Fair for several years.For various reasons, I left my physical shop behind and moved on to work a small retail job whilst also retaining the business as an occasional market trader by late 2016.In 2017, I started live action roleplay, and realised this was the niche I'd been missing. I stopped market trading, after seeing decline in sales at alternative markets, and focused entirely on commission-only sales for this new customer base.In 2019, I rebranded as The Last Bazaar, now able to focus on the the fantasy costume I always wanted to... only to see the world fall apart in 2020. I started a youtube channel, desperately trying to cling to my creative outlet even while LARP wasn't happening.In 2021, after months and months of job-based stress and difficulties, I left retail behind for good and found work in the NHS.Though I am still creating, I now unfortunately no longer have time to constantly offer commission slots like I once did. I now primarily produce soft kit for myself, and very occasionally for other larpers - that is, players of live action roleplay games such as the UK's largest, Empire LRP.As The Last Bazaar was a name I created with the intention of being a seller, a store, an actual bazaar, this no longer fits my new role as primarily an artist and content creator, and I plan to rebrand again later this year.
About My Work
In between making my own costumes, I very occasionally produce costumes for others, usually people I know through LRP.I work to customer budgets on a one-to-one commission basis, but occasionally have ready made, one-of-a-kind pieces for sale online.I am primarily a larp-kit maker, but I also dabble in cosplay and historical costuming as well. While reenactment, living history and historical accuracy fascinate me, this is simply not my 'thing', and I prefer to design fantasy, characters, and new things. While my design background does allow me to achieve a high degree of historical accuracy if desired, what I make is largely fantasy backed up and given flavour and context with historical techniques & research.I am also now producing video content on Youtube demonstrating costume builds, sewing skills, and other costuming topics, centred on producing clothing for live action roleplay. If you're interested in that, or simply want to help me achieve my goal of becoming a full time freelancer, please consider following my Youtube channel @ The Last Bazaar.
Contact
You can find me all over the web @ The Last Bazaar - links below!
Alternatively, for serious business enquiries only, email me at [email protected]Commissions are currently closed. See Commissions page for more details.
Youtube
You can find my Youtube channel here!
I aim to upload a video on the penultimate Sunday of every month, with the occasional surprise video mid-month as well!
WHAT'S ON?Next video:
Altering a Cloak Pattern for my Larp CharacterUpcoming:
A Fancy Freeborn Coat
Making Webbed Gloves for Merfolk Characters
Making Fake Skin for Fantasy Characters
Making A Fancy Double-Layer Coat
Hedeby Bag, But Make It Freeborn
Medieval Kirtle, But Make It Freeborn
Making Belt Bags (reshoot)
Commissions
Commission Status: CURRENTLY CLOSED
I have found myself currently in a situation where my employment has become full time. As such, I feel I cannot feasibly accept commissions; this would not be fair to my customers as I cannot guarantee I can meet deadlines.Sorry for the inconvenience - commissions will return one day!----------What I can do:
If it's made of fabric, it's a possibility.
I am also happy to work with soft clothing leathers.
Coats, corsets, tunics, chemises, bustles, stays, gowns, doublets, cloaks...
LARP characters, fantasy costuming, historical inspired garb etc.
One-to-one Commissions only.What I can't do:
I do not supply custom leatherwork eg armour, scabbards etc.
I do not supply any foamsmithing, jewellery, metalwork, props, etc.
I do not produce full cosplays, but may be open to smaller or single items.
I will not accept large scale projects (eg kit for an entire NPC cast).
I do not produce wholesale items for resale.
I do not offer reenactment grade / 100% historically appropriate garb.
How to Measure for Custom Work
Guide coming soon