The “Snowball association" is proud to present Birgit Neppl and her costumes created specifically for the players of “Last One Standing".

Born in Nurnberg, Birgit Neppl obtained her diploma in Visual Communication and Fashion Design at the Fine Arts School of Wuerzburg.

She has been active as an independent creator in the fields of art and fashion in London, Hamburg and Berlin. Since 1997 she has worked under her own label « Surgery to Wear », creating costumes in the context of performance events, dance, sports and fine arts exhibitions on the theme of body alterations.

In her creation, Birgit Neppl explores the borders between art and fashion. Her costumes ambition to change the body and its subjective and objective perception . Working with performance artists, Birgit designs dresses as part of a narrative.

Birgit Neppl designed the costumes for "Last One Standing" after doing careful studies of the specific movements of snowball throwers, as would a sculptor.

Made of adjustable components in new hi-tech materials, depending on the gender and size of the player, these costumes underline the links between this sport and the domains of science-fiction, comics and electronic games. These are the main elements of the visual identity of LOS, making it immediately identifiable.

Birgit Neppl uses the asymmetric design of the costumes to explain the perpetual imbalance imposed on the bodies of the players, underlining the constant effort needed to play. The action of throwing a snowball thus is magnified.

The designer has taken great care to make the costume as functional as possible, given the demands which the player is confronted with.

The slashes in the outer layer of the costume are reminiscent of incisions or injuries inflicted on the body of the sportsman or woman in their quest for victory at any price.

Thus the costume dramatizes effort and pain, elements inherent in all elite sports which nourish the imagination of a public searching for heroic figures.

The choice of state-of-art new textiles is, among other reasons, motivated by the desire to differentiate and separate LOS from a casual children’s game.

Specifics:

All players will wear an identical basic costume, with sewn-on, brightly colored protective elements allowing identification of each team as it is playing.

The costume is designed in two layers, as follows:

• the inside layer is made of skintight metallic grey lycra.
• the outside layer, made of black neoprene, is sewn asymmetrically on the lycra.

The outer layer is slashed in several places. These slashes are elastic, and depending on the player’s movements, will stretch open, allowing the shiny lycra underneath to show through and brilliantly reflect the light of the projectors.

The slashes also allow freedom of movement, and are cut in such a way as to accentuate and amplify these movements.

The protective elements and player’s number will be the same color as the team’s. They fit into the openings of the costumes to ensure total protection.

Selected Projects of Birgit Neppl:

• costumes for theatre plays, performances and South African choreography by Robyn Orlin in Berlin, Montpellier, Paris and Johannesburg.
• Creation of 50 artistic prostheses for the dancers of the “Dry-Clean-Show” by Lisa D., during the “Steirischen Herbst 2003” demonstration in Graz.
• Costumes for several theatre performances and dances by VW Wolfsburg.
• Development of a concept for utopic clothing for the SIN artistic exhibition in Berlin.
• Development of a fashion range and parade organization for the Beautycase record company.