Made by Neon Cowboys
Arnés de LED
One adjustable size (34–44 in chest) with LEDs you set to any color or pattern by remote.
$225 USD
For prop masters, costume designers and art departments: we design and build custom light-up hand props, LED wardrobe, matched multiples and glowing set pieces, with LEDs built in, color by remote and rechargeable packs hidden in the piece. Our pieces have been filmed for Apple and Google. Every build is quoted: send your script pages and shoot date.
What can a light-up prop shop build for your production?
We work as a light-up prop shop and wardrobe maker for film, TV, music videos, commercials and the stage. Prop masters, costume designers and art departments come to us for four kinds of work:
- Light-up wardrobe: one-off wearable pieces built around your character, from an LED harness to a full light-up suit.
- Multiples for ensembles: our pieces made in matched custom colors for a cast, a dance line or a crowd of background players.
- Hand props from scratch: glowing weapons, devices, crowns, helmets and the like, built for the close-up.
- Light-up set pieces: practical light the camera sees, built into the set.
We sell what we make. Every custom piece is quoted, and the pieces belong to your production after the shoot. Send your script pages and your shoot date and we will tell you plainly what fits.
Pieces filmed for Apple, Google and Adobe
Our light-up pieces have already worked on demanding brand shoots. An LED cowboy hat of ours showcased iPhone 13 low-light night photography for Apple. Google put our Out Past Midnight boots in a Google Lens commercial and on six-story billboards, and in a Google Black Friday 2022 spot. Adobe featured us in a 2021 campaign that aired on Hulu, and we have built commissions for Topo Chico, Cash App and Don Julio.
Artists come to us for one-off pieces: a custom LED hand harness for Beyoncé, a light-up suit for Machine Gun Kelly, custom light-up sunglasses for Kim Petras, a custom LED belt buckle for Doechii and LED glasses for Doja Cat. For Missy Elliott we made her hat plus 20 matching dancer hats, and we have outfitted Beyoncé’s dancers on tour. Kacey Musgraves wore us on tour, we have worked with AEG and Live Nation at Stagecoach, and our pieces have walked New York and Los Angeles Fashion Week.
Every camera, lens and lighting setup is different, so talk to us about your camera and lighting plan before you lock a design.
Made by Neon Cowboys
Botas más allá de la medianoche
The boots Google put in a Google Lens commercial
$325 USD
Hero, stunt and background versions in one build
Most productions need more than one copy of a lit piece. We plan the versions together, so color and light behavior match from the close-up to the wide shot.
| Version | What it is for | How we build the light |
|---|---|---|
| Hero prop or hero costume | Close-ups, inserts and the copy the actor handles on camera | Full detail, LEDs built into the piece, color by remote and programmable patterns |
| Stunt version | Action, falls and fights | Softer materials and fewer hard parts, with the pack placed away from impact; planned with your stunt team |
| Background (BG) version | Players seen at a distance | A simpler build in the same color and light behavior as the hero |
| Multiples and doubles | Continuity, second units and reshoots | Every copy set to the same color and pattern, so a reshoot matches |
Light-heavy shoots can need a lot of copies. For Tron: Ares, Wētā Workshop built 62 working light suits, and on some shoot days more than 20 were active at once (source: Wētā Workshop). For Five Nights at Freddy’s, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop made multiples of each animatronic character so another build could be ready for the next shot (source: SYFY). We did not work on either film. They show why we quote the multiples with the hero.
Practical light in camera, not added in post
Practical lighting means the light source is in the shot. When a prop or costume glows on set, it lights the actor’s face, shows up in reflections and gives the cast something real to play against. In Blade Runner, many of the umbrellas carried had fluorescent tubes in their shafts, a light source that put a glow on the carriers’ faces (source: American Cinematographer). On Tron: Legacy, the costume designers learned the suit lighting would not be added later in CGI, so the power had to be self-contained on the actors (source: The Hollywood Reporter).
That is the work we do. We build the light into the piece:
- LEDs built into the piece, not taped on afterward.
- Color by remote and programmable patterns, so a piece can fade, strobe or change color on cue.
- Rechargeable packs hidden in the costume or the prop, with no cable to a wall.
- EL wire where a clean line of light reads best; our Out Past Midnight boots are EL wire.
In-camera light and work added in post can live together. Talk to us about your camera and lighting plan and we will build to it.
Who do we work with on a production?
| Role | What they usually bring us |
|---|---|
| Prop master or property master | Hand props in hero, stunt and BG versions, plus multiples |
| Costume designer | Light-up wardrobe and ensembles in custom colors |
| Production designer, art director or set decorator | Light-up set pieces and practical light in the set |
| Producer or line producer | The quote, the shoot date and the budget sign-off |
| Music-video director | One-off artist pieces and dancer sets |
| Agency or creative director | Brand campaign pieces built for camera |
| Theater production manager | Props and wardrobe for the stage |
One contact on your side keeps a build moving: usually the prop master for props and the costume designer for wardrobe, with the producer copied on the quote.
Light-up props and wardrobe by genre
Each genre guide covers the pieces we build for that kind of story, how the light behaves in those scenes and what to send for a quote.
| Genre | What productions ask us for | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Sci-fi | Light-up suits, LED harness armor, glowing devices and helmets | Read the sci-fi guide |
| Futuristic and cyberpunk | Neon street wardrobe, face tech and lit hand props | Read the futuristic and cyberpunk guide |
| Horror | Glowing rib cages, lit cult crowns and haunted set pieces | Read the horror guide |
| Fantasy | Light-up swords, glowing crowns and staffs | Read the fantasy guide |
| Superhero | Original light-up suits and power devices | Read the superhero guide |
| Space | Astronaut wardrobe, helmet lights and spacecraft set pieces | Read the space guide |
| Dystopian and post-apocalyptic | Salvaged-look lit gear and faction wardrobe | Read the dystopian and post-apocalyptic guide |
| Romance | Glowing gowns for balls, proms and weddings | Read the romance guide |
| Dance films and musicals | Matched ensembles and multiples for a whole cast | Read the dance films and musicals guide |
| Music videos | One-off artist pieces and dancer sets | Read the music videos guide |
| Commercials | Brand campaign pieces built for camera | Read the commercials guide |
| TV series | Continuity, multiples and repairs across episodes | Read the tv series guide |
| Comedy | Light-up gags and sight jokes | Read the comedy guide |
| Holiday and Christmas movies | Glowing party wardrobe and set pieces | Read the holiday and christmas movies guide |
| Neon and space westerns | EL wire boots and light-up nudie suits | Read the neon and space westerns guide |
| Teen movies | Prom, homecoming and pep-rally scenes, with poms and bows | Read the teen movies guide |
| Nightclub and rave scenes | Harnesses and face stickers for a whole crowd | Read the nightclub and rave scenes guide |
| Theater and stage | Light-up props and wardrobe for the stage | Read the theater and stage guide |
| Fashion films and editorials | Runway and editorial pieces, as seen at New York and Los Angeles Fashion Week | Read the fashion films and editorials guide |
Why productions bring a fashion house in
Neon Cowboys is a designer-led light-up fashion house founded in 2014 by Asia Hall, a computer science graduate and the daughter of couturier Kevan Hall. Asia grew up in a film and fashion family; her aunt is director Kasi Lemmons.
That mix is the job. A light-up costume has to fit, move and photograph like clothing, and the electronics have to sit inside it without showing. We have been building both halves together for more than ten years, from one-off artist pieces to matched sets for a whole ensemble.
Made by Neon Cowboys
Vestido con lentejuelas y flecos LED: RESERVA
A fringe sequin dress with LEDs you switch between colors and light modes with the included remote.
$249 USD
Request a production quote
Email info@neoncowboys.com with “Production inquiry” in the subject line and send:
- Script pages or a mood board
- How many hero, stunt and background (BG) pieces you need
- Cast sizes for any ensemble or multiples
- Colors, including any color change on cue
- Your shoot date
- Your camera and lighting plan
Tell us whether each piece is wardrobe, a hand prop or a set piece. Every custom build is quoted. Send us your shoot date and we will tell you plainly what fits. Brand and agency teams can also start from our brand partnerships page, and touring and stage teams from our performers page.
What do customers say about the Out Past Midnight Boots?
The Out Past Midnight Boots holds a 4.8 out of 5 rating from 62 customer reviews. A few of them, unedited:
“Love love LOVE!! I’m an aspiring MYC artist that likes to light up the room and neon cowboys helps my fashion came stay at the TOP TIER!! One of a kind fashion and durable !! Won’t be my first nor last purchase HAHA I need these boots in every color!!!!!!”
— Gia G.
“I am OFFICIALLY in LOVE!!! These boots are everything!!! From the moment I saw them I knew I had to have them! I love dancing and walking around the house in them. They are even more comfortable than I thought they would be. I plan to get more colors. :)”
— Shantay R.
“I’m wearing these for the Renaissance concert next month and I’m excited!”
— Sade W.
Frequently asked questions
Do you sell or loan your light-up props?
We sell. Every custom prop, costume and set piece is quoted and built for your production, and the pieces are yours to keep.
Can you build hero, stunt and background versions of the same prop?
Yes. We plan hero, stunt and BG versions together so the color and light behavior match, plus multiples for continuity and reshoots.
Will your light-up pieces read on camera?
Our pieces were filmed for Apple’s iPhone 13 night-mode campaign and Google’s commercials. Every setup is different, so talk to us about your camera and lighting plan.
Can you match colors across a whole cast?
Yes. We make multiples of our pieces in custom colors for ensembles; for Missy Elliott we made her hat plus 20 matching dancer hats.
What do you need for a production quote?
Script pages or a mood board, the number of hero, stunt and BG pieces, cast sizes, colors, your shoot date and your camera and lighting plan.
How long does a custom light-up prop take to build?
Send us your shoot date and we will tell you plainly what fits. Every build is quoted.
See also: sci-fi movie props and light-up costumes, music video props and light-up wardrobe, light-up props for brand campaigns and light-up theater and stage props.
Sources: Wētā Workshop, SYFY, American Cinematographer, The Hollywood Reporter.
Tron, Tron: Legacy, Tron: Ares, Blade Runner, Five Nights at Freddy’s and Stranger Things are names or marks of their owners, as are Wētā Workshop, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop and Quantum Creations FX. They are named here as industry references only. None is affiliated with Neon Cowboys, and Neon Cowboys did not work on any of these productions.
Questions: info@neoncowboys.com.
