Aziz Abadsafian opened the trunk of his girlfriend’s car to find a piece of green clothing. When he pulled it out, he realized it was a large frog onesie.
“She was embarrassed and said it was nothing,” he said with a laugh. “(I said) can you put this on right now?!”
That moment motivated the couple to create an online store where young people could get their own onesies.
In early September, Abadsafian, who is a UCLA microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics research associate, and his girlfriend Lourdes Hipolito created The KiguRoom, an online website that sells kigurumis, or onesies designed in the shape of animals.
The KiguRoom sells 40 onesie styles, including animals such as pandas and frogs, and fictional characters such as unicorns.
Not long after he saw his girlfriend’s onesie, Abadsafian scrolled through several websites in search of his own. The lemur kigurumi, with its big yellow eyes and long black and white striped tail, caught his attention, he said. The lemur has since become the logo of The KiguRoom.
Hipolito said she was surprised the online store got 15 orders in just a month, especially since they started the store on a whim.
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When Abadsafian began looking for his own kigurumi, he repeatedly found overpriced items, so he wanted to create a business that was affordable, he said.
“The ones I did find were ridiculously overpriced,” Abadsafian said. “It’s ridiculous to pay $80 for cozy pajamas, but the cheaper ones were poor quality.”
Hipolito said she thinks some kigurumi designs are not well made. She added Abadsafian saw some people wear kigurumis at a concert that were tearing at the seams.
“That’s when I realized that there’s a market for someone who’s in the middle – high quality for a decent price,” Abadsafian said.
Hipolito said that she and Abadsafian looked endlessly for a producer that would allow them to sell decently priced kigurumis and they settled for a Chinese wholesaler. The KiguRoom aims to be the connection between big companies that make the onesies and everyday consumers, she said. The couple selects the styles available on their website and sets the prices.
Hipolito said they have recently added three new styles: a shark, koala, and hippo. They have also added new slippers and want to add jackets that resemble the onesies.
Abadsafian and Hipolito said they want to expand The KiguRoom even further by adding new designs and items.
“We really want to get some Pokemon themes going because we know that it’s a popular show with a lot of people,” Hipolito said. “We are open to receiving ideas in order to collaborate with the wholesaler.”
Stephanie DeMarco, a UCLA molecular biology graduate student, said that she finds The KiguRoom onesies comfortable. She added she would definitely recommend kigurumis as costumes with Halloween right around the corner.
“I feel like it’s sort of like a nerdy thing, but it’s really fun too,” she said.
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DeMarco said she thinks it’d be a cool gift idea. She added she thinks The KiguRoom should add a kigurumi that looks like Joe Bruin because it would show school spirit and would be comfortable to wear during finals week.
“Everyone so far has said that they are warm, cozy and comfortable,” Abadsafian said. “You can literally wear them all day, or night because we’re in California. My friends even went stargazing in them.”