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Merrill Guerra once approached shopping for her over-weight daughter with great pessimism. In her city of Ypsilanti, Michigan. There was no specialized clothing for kids larger than the average size. Buying designer clothes for older children resulted in pants being too long as well as the shirt sleeves and the styles were too sexy for a child.
Knowing she could not be alone in her shopping frustration she decided to form RealKidz, a plus-sized clothing company for girls ages five through twelve. She began by selling simple items such as: Capri’s, leggings and T-shirts online and in August, 2008 will introduce her line of back to school clothes.
Fashion for over-weight kids is one of the hottest areas in retail. This 6.2 billion dollar market in plus-sized children’s clothes has proven to be as lucrative as that of clothing for over-weight adults. Together, they are expected to grow forty-one percent by 2012, according to market research firm Packaged Fact, as stated in Business Week, June 30, 2008.
With clothing sales reaching new lows, the big boys like J.C. Pennys and Old Navy must compete with specialty retailers in offering “husky” and plus-sizes for children and teens.
Studies show that one-third of American children fall into the category of obesity. Many clothing manufacturers, as well as designers, have been slow to hop on this fashion bandwagon. However, “French Toast” began offering this specialized line of clothing in 2006. Following their lead, J.C. Penny’s goal is “to get every girl fit into exactly what the girl next to her is wearing.”
Even as additional companies begin catering to this ever-increasing need, they are also reluctant to highlight this line of clothing, fearing to be viewed as profiting from what most people consider a problem. Perhaps some retailers are worried that clothes for chubby kids aren’t seen as cool.
Lenda Jo Connell, a professor of Consumer Affairs at Alabama’s Auburn University notes that “retailers think there is more status associated with normal-sized clothing.”
According to a 2007 study, most parents are willing to pay more for their kids to feel good about themselves.
Larger clothing for America’s young can equate to larger profits for America’s retailers.
Guerra plans to start a social network for parents of over-weight kids alongside her RealKidz clothing line.
