Costume College 2026 Guest Teacher:

Alia Pyatt

Alia Pyatt, widely known as Magical Black Girl Alia, is a professional cosplayer, content creator, and educator whose work blends costume design, fashion history, and imaginative reinterpretation of fandom. Alia’s love of cosplay began over a decade ago at her first comic convention, where creating a simple Star Wars costume sparked a deeper fascination with character, clothing, and storytelling through dress.

Since then, Alia has steadily grown her platform and skillset, blending costume craftsmanship with storytelling and digital content creation. Starting her regular content journey in 2018, her work took off during the 2020 lockdown, transforming her passion into a full-time pursuit. As both a cosplayer and creator, Alia researches and constructs intricate costumes, plans and executes solo and collaborative photo shoots, and engages audiences with thoughtful commentary on cosplay, pop culture, fashion, and beauty.

Alia’s work is deeply informed by her background in fashion merchandising — a discipline she studied in college — and her persistent curiosity about historical fashion and visual storytelling. She personally directs every step of her creative process, from design and fabrication to makeup, photography, and post-production. In addition to her costume work, Alia has spent years building a successful online presence and regularly speaks about navigating social media as a diverse costumer.

Find her work at @magicalblackgirlalia and learn more about her creative journey on her website.