Take what Chuu wore to Comic Con on Thursday — she dressed as Katsuki Bakugo, a character from the Japanese manga comic "My Hero Academia". The self-made costume featured elaborate foam appendages that resembled watermelon-sized hand grenades, which she wore on each hand.
"Even though, say, a piece of armor foam is 10 bucks, working on it takes about maybe 20 hours," she said. And, that's just one piece of a costume that also features a wig, makeup, knee-high black and red boots and other accouterments.
All in all, designing and making all of the elements of just one costume can be a weeks-long process, Chuu says.
What's more, Chuu has over 200 costumes that she cycles through. Those include everything from Battle Angel Alita, a sleek, black leather-clad warrior from a manga comics series of the same name, to a scantily-clad version of Valus, a minotaur warrior from the video game "Shadow of the Colossus."
Chuu wears the costumes to different conventions and events around the world, before she eventually either throws them out (if they get damaged), or sometimes sells them to make way for her newest creations.
Even a used costume can fetch up to $1,000, she says, especially if it is an elaborate design. Chuu also makes costumes on commission for other cosplayers, including one she's making now that involves a combination of body armor, fur and a large wig. She'll sell it for about $3,000, she said.
Chuu started cosplaying in high school and she says she got serious about it eight years ago, after she graduated from college at SUNY Purchase. A lifetime fan of anime, aka Japanese animation, Chuu grew up watching anime series like "Dragon Ball Z" and "Shadow Skill" before becoming the president of the anime club at her college.
"I decided to dive super deep into cosplay, because it just looked so cool when I went to conventions with my anime club," she told CNBC Make It. "And I just thought if I learn how to make my own costumes maybe something cool can come from this; maybe I could travel more, maybe I can meet cool people."
After doing cosplay as a hobby for several years while working a full-time graphic design job at Everyday Health in New York, Chuu decided to make the jump into being a professional cosplayer three years ago.
She quit her job, and a year later she moved to Los Angeles, where she now lives with her husband. She admits that it was a risky proposition to leave her job, where she had a guaranteed salary with full benefits, for a relatively uncharted line of work, since there are relatively few professional cosplayers in the world.
"I was taking a huge risk making this my my full-time job," Chuu says, but she took inspiration from the recent rise of
social media influencers and other online entertainers who have made careers out of building large followings on social media and sites like Twitch.
