Clothes are a 'modest' success

SPRINGVILLE — They say that necessity is the mother of invention. In the case of one American Fork woman's invention, necessity has brought about a mother lode of attention.

A line of shirts Chelsea Rippy designed to make her life easier has now caught the attention of women scattered across the nation, mostly due to the unusual cut: ultra-modest.

"The general response has been, 'Finally, I can wear what I want to wear and still feel really comfortable and modest,' " said Rippy, who founded American Fork-based Shade Clothing. "People are just so excited to have something cover their body whether or not they're standing or bending over."

Rippy, a Brigham Young University graduate with a degree in health education, came up with the idea for the company after one of many unsuccessful attempts to find modest, fashionable clothing at local stores.

"I just came home one day from a really frustrating shopping experience and was wishing somebody would make a shirt that would do this, this and this," she said. "And then I said, 'Oh my goodness, I'm going to do it.' "

The result of Rippy's brainstorming was three different extra-long, higher-necked, stretchy shirts designed to be worn underneath other clothing. One is a spaghetti-strapped tank top, one a cap-sleeved shirt and the third a long-sleeved shirt. Though Rippy had no experience in fashion design or merchandising, she and business partner Char Garn started selling the shirts last September and have been hard-pressed to keep up with demand.

"We're continually growing," Rippy said. "We grow about 30 percent each month."

Not surprisingly, a good chunk of that growing clientele includes members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in and outside of Utah. But Shade's products have also found a market outside the Mormon niche.

"We get non-Mormons; they still want to be modest," said Shade sales representative Jamie Brown.

"It's designed to cover garments (worn by LDS women), but people just wear them plain, just as shirts."

Rippy said she had LDS women in mind when she designed the shirts and was surprised at first to discover their broader appeal.

"It definitely surprised me," she said. "But now that I wear the shirts on a daily basis, I can kind of see why anybody would feel more comfortable just to have a few more inches added to whatever they're wearing. People like the shirts regardless of their religion."

Rippy theorizes that versatility is the main selling point for the shirts.