I know a little bit about EL wire and sheets from about ten years ago when it was popular among Star Wars fans to make lit lightsaber toy^H^H^Hprops with it. The community soon abandoned it, though, because 1) it was actually not very bright, 2) it was difficult to solder, 3) it had a short lifespan, dimming to half brightness after 500-1000 hours.
EL sheets are cool, though, because you can cut them in various shapes. There are people who have done amazing Tron costumes with EL sheet.