While taking scissors last year to a big secondhand sheepskin coat they found at a Canadian thrift store, comedy writer Elaine Aronson and actress Cynthia Carle came up with an idea for a funky new fashion accessory: fuzzy wrist warmers.

“We started with the coat sleeves, cut it down to a cuff, and thought, ‘Wow, this is really a cool idea,’” said Carle.

They’ll be showing off their fuzzy cuff creations – dubbed Oofkas – at Las Vegas apparel and accessories trade show Magic later this month.

The duo came up with three fashion lines for Oofkas. Basic comes in five neutral two-tone colors, Bling comes in five bright colors bejeweled with rhinestone studs and Black Tie comes in three different black-and-white designs. Basic and Bling styles cost $38; Black Tie styles cost $68.

Carle said she and Aronson got advice from friends in the fashion industry to determine prices.

“Almost nobody said they were too high,” she said. “If you think of Oofkas like you do a great pair of shoes or a great bag, it becomes more reasonable.”

Contributing to the high price: Oofkas are manufactured in Los Angeles, where labor costs are higher than offshore.

Aronson said she and Carle want to sell Oofkas at high-end retailers such as Neiman Marcus but decided to debut at Magic first in hopes of gaining brand recognition.

“Because we’re something new to the market, and no one has ever seen us before, we have a lot of fear in trying to roll it out boutique by boutique,” she said. “We didn’t think that would give us a chance to brand ourselves.”

Neither woman has experience in the fashion or retail industries, but both have confidence in the appeal of their product. They each contributed personal savings to start the lines.

“We’re not trying to pretend we’re anything other than what we are, which is two rubes in this field,” Aronson said. “We just hope the product will really speak to people.”

– Bethany Firnhaber