Young man from Standerton wins SA cosplay title

Jaden Welgemoed (21) clinched the SA Greenleaf championship title at Comic Con Africa on 31 August for his portrayal of Warwick, a character from the popular video game League of Legends.

Welgemoed left Standerton on 27 August, full of excitement, to settle in and prepare for the four-day event at the Johannesburg Expo Centre.
He had worked on his Warwick cosplay for eight months, investing over 56 000 hours to bring the giant monster to life.

“I started planning and designing after watching Comic Con Africa 2024 videos online. I knew I just had to attend this year,” said Welgemoed.

His costume was made entirely from recyclable materials, including couch foam, fur, and EVA foam, all attached to a slim-fit bodysuit. The outfit weighs almost 10kg, though Welgemoed said it felt more like 15kg after wearing it for several hours.

Initially, Welgemoed had only planned to enter a small competition, but encouragement from the cosplay community pushed him to participate fully. He found out he would attend all four days just a day before leaving.

“I was overjoyed to learn I could be there for the full show; I had prepared myself for only two days,” he said.

Arriving on the first day felt like a dream. His cosplay immediately drew attention, and he quickly made friends who shared his interests.
Over the four days, Welgemoed wore three different cosplays.

On the first day, he dressed as the White Rabbit from Devil May Cry. On the second day, he portrayed Phineas Taylor Barnum from The Greatest Showman. On the final two days, he donned his competition cosplay of Warwick.

During pre-judging, world-class judges, themselves experienced cosplayers, recognised Welgemoed’s talent. He scored 15/20 for his Warwick portrayal.

“I asked for feedback to improve for next year. They told me my stitching needs attention and that I should try to use better materials,” said Welgemoed, noting that Standerton has a limited range of resources for cosplay.

Before the competition, he waited in the arena for an hour, too excited and anxious to miss a second of the event. During judging, cosplayers acted out in character on stage.

“There were a lot of talented cosplayers who put tremendous time and effort into their characters,” said Welgemoed.

When his name was announced as the SA champion, he was overwhelmed. “This title means more to me than I can put into words. I didn’t think my cosplay deserved that much attention, but my hard work was recognised,” he said.

Welgemoed concluded by thanking everyone who supported him along the way.

“Many people told me to quit or grow up, but I stuck to what I love. I was limited, but I still managed to achieve this,” he said.