Yaya Han

Yaya Han is a cosplayer, designer and author. After discovering cosplay in 1999, and armed with a used $40 sewing machine, Yaya quickly absorbed the heart and soul of costume design/creation. To this day, she has created over 400 personal costumes spanning every fandom genre as well as her own original designs. Her long-standing dedication to craftsmanship, creativity, and authenticity has made her a beloved competition judge and a respected voice in the cosplay community.

Over the years, Yaya has played a pivotal role in introducing cosplay to the mainstream audience and shaping it into a commercial industry. She appeared as a Guest Judge on three seasons of TBS Network’s King of the Nerds, starred in Syfy’s docu-series Heroes of Cosplay, and produced and featured in the documentary film Cosplay Universe. Her work and story have been featured in countless books, magazines, newspapers, and online media outlets around the world.

In 2020, Sterling Books published Yaya’s self-written book Yaya Han’s World of Cosplay, which explores the evolution of modern cosplay while chronicling her life journey from being born in China to growing up in Germany and ultimately finding her creative home in the United States. The book is available worldwide wherever books are sold.

In the past decade, Yaya has focused on creating tools and materials that empower fellow makers through partnerships with leading global brands. She designed over 40 Yaya Han–branded cosplay sewing patterns for The McCall Pattern Company and developed a long-running line of cosplay fabrics, trims, and EVA foam products that were carried at JOANN Fabric & Craft Stores for nine years. Following JOANN’s closure, Yaya successfully partnered with new distributors including Michaels, Mood Fabrics, and Famore Cutlery to continue making her collections available to the community. Her collaboration with Swiss sewing machine company BERNINA has resulted in two co-branded models: the bernette 79 and 38 Yaya Han Editions.

Beyond her commercial ventures, Yaya often participates in charitable projects and strives to be a positive and encouraging force within the cosplay world. Through hard work, passion, and an unwavering belief in creativity, she has helped elevate cosplay into a respected art form and inspired generations of fans and makers to pursue their own creative journeys.