Real Kidz In Ypsilanti

It turns out teen capris make for passable full-length pants on a plus-size fourth-grader.

Ruby, who lives in Redford, heard about RealKidz Clothing Company through her sister. The Ypsilanti-based custom-fit clothing company makes a line of clothing for plus-sized 5-12-year-old girls. Ruby and her daughter checked out a RealKidz trunk show in September.

"She made me spend a lot of money," Ruby laughs. "... The first thing that caught my attention was that somebody was making clothes that are going to fit my kid. I was extremely impressed with the quality. They're trendy; they're comfortable; my daughter loves them."

And it wasn't just the clothes. RealKidz is built around the idea that positive support for a healthy lifestyle will get you there a whole lot more effectively than shame or guilt. The mission resonated with Ruby, who joined the company as a sales consultant shortly thereafter.

"I can't tell you how many people come up to me at vendor shows and say, 'Omigosh, what a great idea. Thank you for doing this. I was a heavier child and I wish somebody would have done this when I was a kid.'" Ruby said.

RealKidz founder Merrill Guerra knows.

Kids used to call her "Merrill the barrel." She went on her first diet at 10 years old and is a Weight Watchers lifetime member. Her own daughter, Gabi, is an active, confident kid who, since preschool, has been through that same embarrassing clothing store routine. Nothing fits right; nothing looks good.

Guerra was working on a MBA at the University of Michigan when the frustration of finding clothes for Gabi intersected with the statistics: 17 percent of children age 6-11 are overweight or obese, and parents spend $3.2 billion a year on clothes for their plus-size daughters.

So Guerra created Realkidz Clothing Company. Built on a direct-marketing model (a'la Mary Kay or Tupperware) RealKidz not only gives kids of all shapes and sizes clothes they can feel good about, it creates business opportunities for women like Kelly Ruby, who's one of the company's five original consultants.

Once the clothing line is going strong, RealKidz will launch a social network to connect parents with each other, and with resources to help them help their kids.

"In the end this is much more than a clothing company," Guerra says. "It's like a movement. It's for all families who are concerned with healthy living. It's about helping kids be healthy and happy with who they are, and giving their parents the resources to make healthy lifestyle choices."

In November 2008 Guerra secured $142,000 to move RealKidz into its next phase – expanding its network of direct sales consultants. The company, which has also cranked up its advertising and improved its website, will spend the first three months of 2009 recruiting and training its 25-member Founder’s Circle of consultants.

And though Guerra says landing funding in these economic times was something close to miraculous, direct sales companies tend to do well in recessions because people are looking for extra streams of income.

"Plus the whole model of bringing people together, gathering friends and family in your home gives an opportunity to connect with people in way people don't get to do anymore," Guerra said.

Feedback from the consultants' experiences will help guide the line’s evolution, but Guerra expects to expand into slim and average sizes by fall 2009 and eventually into a line of custom-fit clothes for boys, too.

"We are definitely going to have to be a much larger company at that point to handle that kind of production, but yeah, boys have the same issues," she said. "I have tons of mothers who are in need and want of this for their sons."

At a typical trunk show the RealKidz consultant explains the company's mission and shows some samples. Then the real fun starts. Girls who've come along with their moms or grandmas get to try on clothes that fit them, feel good and look cool. Consultants can also arrange private fittings, but Guerra says once they see how well the clothes fit other kids, their apprehension usually doesn't last long.

"These girls are used to an absolutely horrifying experience trying on clothing," Guerra said. "You have to scrape them off ceiling they're so excited."

The state of Michigan's focus on attracting and fostering technology, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and defense businesses doesn't leave much room in the incubator for a garment company like RealKidz. Until recently, Guerra's company was ineligible for money from the Michigan pre-seed capital fund, which could match the funding she landed in November.

But where a door closes, a window opens. In 2007 the State Prison Industries act was amended to allow prison garment factories to sell to for-profit enterprises. Michigan State Industries, part of the department of corrections' employment readiness program, trains inmates in about two dozen trades, including garment and textile making. Inmates at six Michigan prisons make the entire line of RealKidz clothes while learning not only to design, cut and sew, but also to show up for work every day, take instruction, work as a team and get along with colleagues.

"The concept she has is wonderful," said MSI area manager Joyce Cram. "There are so many young ladies who don't need to be dressing like they're 20 when they're only 14. For us its great. It puts a lot of color in our factory. It's an exciting thing for us, and for her as a new company, she can be involved in making a difference with these guys and getting them ready for the street."

To keep RealKidz's manufacturing operations near its headquarters, Cram hopes to establish a garment factory at the Huron Valley Women's Correctional Facility. Guerra's excited about the partnership not only because it keeps production in-state and makes good business sense, but also because she believes in the program and feels it fits RealKidz's mission.

"With other cut-and-sew manufacturers, they hear about our mission and they think it’s pretty cool, but these people really get the vision and they get excited about it," Guerra said. "Every day in their jobs they’re dealing with people who didn’t have good self-esteem growing up. I love that they’re so excited about the mission and the vision of the company."

Meanwhile, Katie Ruby has accumulated just about every outfit in the RealKidz line. She models clothes for her mom, goes along to trade shows when she can, and has even made up her own little business cards.

"She's really into it," Kelly Ruby says. "She feels like its partly her business, too."