How Do Custom Kigurumi Designs Compare to Mainstream Options?

(Featured image credit by 雨蛙 via Pixiv)

What comes to your mind when someone brings up the topic of custom kigurumi onesies? Usually, we think of a wardrobe of personally made outfits. Like, stitched from the ground up. This means that every square inch of the design is conceptualized without directly copying an already existing one.

However, we can actually simply focus on the design aspect. If the motif and color combinations do not represent what was already released in the wild, then effectively it is a custom kigurumi onesie. This is regardless of whether your auntie stitched one or a factory churned it out.

So if it is mainly a design definition, would custom kigurumi onesies generally follow the same trend as those available from other official sources? Well, not actually, but there is an ebb and flow to it. Like ideas that come and go with popularity.

Let's start with what's actually trending in mainstream kigurumi right now. Bear kigurumi seems to be the universal "tutorial mode" choice, and there's a practical reason for this. Bears have that naturally round, easy-to-follow silhouette that works for pretty much anyone, regardless of body type. We have already discussed this many years back, and even pointed out that pop media also likes to pick bear-themed designs whenever featuring kigurumi in any title or a specific anime episode.

Next in line, you would also see tons of basic cats, dogs, pandas, and dinosaurs dominating the mainstream market because they're safe, recognizable, and appeal to the widest possible audience. Think of them as the kigurumi onesie starter packs, if you will.

As for trend cycles, seasonal designs are usually your best bet. Animals representing the Chinese Zodiac are among the popular for this, and I have always consistently celebrated the next animal theme in line whenever the new year comes along. Sometimes, social media would also follow the trend, but as you have seen from my previous blog posts, it is almost always the flood of fan art that carries these occasions.

(Image credit via comaco227r via X)

That being said, if you think that custom kigurumi designers are simply following the same ebb and flow each time, then you might want to check out cosplay-level kigurumi onesies. Specifically, those that represent actual kigurumi onesies worn by fictional characters, usually in some special episode, or part of their “personal appeal” kit. There are one-off characters like Bocchi (Bocchi the Rock) and Mahiro (Onii-chan wa Oshimai), who only wore their onesies at very specific parts of the series. And then you have characters like Ichihara Nina (Idolmaster Series) and Yuna (Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear) who pretty much took kigurumi onesies as their defining identity within the respective franchises.

What's really fascinating is how the technical limitations shape both types differently. Long hairstyles do not work well on kigurumis, and so the shots would most likely involve the hood being pulled up. If your character's design is complex, the design may be simplified to provide a contrast to what they usually wear. In any case, you can generally trust designers to stick to something that combines sheer simplicity and elements that can stick out like a sore thumb.

(Image credit by lemonchach69445 via X)

On the production side of things, the "beginner-friendly" trend in mainstream kigurumi has definitely influenced custom work. Take your usual pick of any combinations of three colors, an animal of your choice, with no small/complex markings. More intricate designs are possible, but are usually discouraged for this tier of onesies precisely because they don’t translate well for the amount of effort needed to add (and maintain) them.

Of course, despite all of these juggled considerations, comfort and wearability are still the number one priority. It sounds corporate speak and marketing talk, I know. But in the end, they are indeed designed to be comfort/lounge wear, not full detailed costumes. Everyone wants something they can actually wear for hours without dying. Heck, even Kurosaki Koyuki’s (Blue Archive) yellow rabbit kigurumi isn’t designed for anything other than just being a practical sleepwear within the setting it belongs to, despite the flashy color scheme.

Looking at current 2025 trends, both the custom and mainstream kigurumi are definitely playing it safer with proven sellers like classic animals with a new color palette twist, if not a neighboring alternative species twist. You definitely need the marketing power of established franchises if you want something significantly more provocative, whatever “provocative” may practically mean in kigurumi onesie-speak.

Then there’s the down-to-earth question of buying motivation. More casual kigurumi wearer may just want to participate in a trend or get something cute for photos, and custom design wearers are no exception.

So, do custom kigurumi follow mainstream trends? Sometimes, but it depends on what theme rotation the designers want, and if it is more closely associated with a more specific character or product series. The bottom line is that both mainstream and custom markets are doing their own thing, but they're definitely watching each other.