Meet Kaye, or KayeKilowatt online, a costuming professional and cosplayer with a keen eye for detail and a love for bringing unique designs to life. She loved the arts from a young age and was encouraged by friends and family alike to explore every form that came to her.

Kaye started sewing in 2008 in order to cosplay, during which her late grandfather, Robert Ponsi, taught her the basics. Attempting an appliqued, fully lined, and foundationally complex garment as her first cosplay was grueling for a 6th grader, but figuring out the “how” behind these designs had developed enough of an interest to propel her into the professional sewing field later in life. That first costume is seen to the right with red and white clouds on a black cloak - Deidara from Naruto. 

Kaye worked for Joann Fabric and Craft stores from 2012 to 2015 while she earned her associate degree. She learned about fabrics through coworkers and store guests, all while continuing her craft as a cosplayer.

In 2015, she began her full-time employment with the Walt Disney Company, where she would sew professionally for seven years and work with various garments and construction details that allowed Kaye to expand her knowledge of her own craft. She stopped attending conventions to prioritize her professional, personal, and love lives from 2015 to 2024, but the desire to create stayed within.

In the past few years, Kaye has learned how to create her own fabric designs using vector programs such as Corel and Adobe Illustrator, allowing her to utilize sublimation services like Spoonflower. This expanded her costuming possibilities to include patterns she could only dream of in the past.

Thanks to a small collaboration project shared between two coworkers-turned-lifelong-friends in 2023 and the continuous support of her best friend and husband, Kaye was motivated to build large cosplay again and officially re-entered the convention and competitive cosplay scenes with Anime Festival Orlando 2024. 

Kaye now splits her focus between building cosplay for both competition & fun and spending time creating her own visions for characters she loves - and picking up a new skill or two!