Cosplay Croft Soars High Above Camden
High above the city streets a woman stands, hands on hips, surveying the scene below. Gazing through the glass of a London skyscraper would not be unusual- except that they’re not in the skyscraper but on top of it. This also happens to be somebody straight from the creative world of cosplay, portraying 90’s heroine, Lara Croft.
Tomb Raider: The LIVE Experience in Camden Stables Market is mere weeks away from opening but, until then, Lara has been let loose on the rooftops of Camden, brough to life by Lili Din Farghal.
Hailing from France, Lili is a typical member of the cosplaying community, delighting audiences wherever she goes and having many a selfie taken with super fans around the world. Her passion for all things action is not just a recent obsession, however.
“I started playing Tomb Raider when I was 8, thanks to my mom who was playing the first games on PC. I started to play with her after school.
From then onwards, Lara became my hero, and I also started drawing her and collecting all I could find about Tomb Raider.”
Lili is every inch Lara Croft. She is cool and collected but simultaneously looks like she could spring into action at any moment; which she does to great effect, allowing the photographer to capture all of her high octane moves. Typic of all cosplayers, Lili has a plethora of characters that she depicts, each one as awe inspiring as the last. Lara, however, is her specialty;
“At first, I was invited by Square Enix as Lara Croft for the preview event of Tomb Raider Reborn in 2012 in Paris during Paris Games Week. In 2018, I was asked to play small video parts as Lara for a Tomb Raider-special TV show on French channel NRJ12”.
Cosplay isn’t just about striking poses, though. Lili’s 5,000 plus Instagram followers can see the painstaking detail she puts into creating her costumes;
“When I was 8, I used to play in the garden dressed as Lara. Years later, when I was 16, I discovered cosplay on the internet. So, I decided to join the community and began to cosplay as Lara Croft, crafting and sewing the outfits.
My favourite outfit is Tomb Raider Legends. Although the classic outfit is also one of my favourites… There are too many costumes! It’s hard to choose!”, and when pressed on her favourite weapon? “The two USP guns… no hesitation!”.
Like a metaphor for the hotly anticipated attraction, Lili draws quite the crowd. Passers by are jostling to get their snap as she stands on the iconic bridge, Camden Lock in the background. What does this consummate cosplay representative think about being involved with the launch and what does the future hold for her?
“I was asked to take part in Tomb Raider: The Live Experience as the Official Cosplay Ambassador, and I feel so honored as a longtime fan of Lara. This was my childhood dream…
Bringing Lara’s outfits to the same places as the games is my dream. There are still so many places where I want to organise a photoshoot!”
Tomb Raider: The LIVE Experience opens on 10th May and tickets can be booked at www.tombraiderlive.co.uk and Lili can be found on Instagram @lili_din_farghul
