(RNS1-MAY20) The Rev. Beverly A. Smith of Saginaw, Mich., designed the “clergette,” a feminine take on the traditional white clergy collar, when she tired of the traditional hard plastic version designed for men. For use with RNS-CLERGY-GARB, transmitted May 20, 2010. RNS photo by Ashley L. Conti/The Saginaw News.

SAGINAW, Mich. (RNS) Tired of wearing an uncomfortable, plastic clergy collar designed for men, the Rev. Beverly A. Smith had a moment of divine inspiration.

Smith, pastor of Kingdom Life Ministries International in Saginaw, came up with a new clerical collar with a feminine twist: the “clergette.”

The clergette is a feminine version of the traditional clergy collar worn in many Christian denominations. The clergette lays below the neck and above the chest, like a woman’s blouse beneath a black suit.

With her entrepreneurial spirit and a motivational spark from a business program at Michigan’s Delta College, Smith hopes her feminine take on the traditional white collar catches on when she attends a national Baptist convention this year in Atlanta.

“I understand that the (clergy) collar is supposed to represent the yoke of being yoked with Christ and that you belong to him,” Smith, 54, said. “The clergette says `OK, I belong — but not so tight.”‘

Smith designed the clergette in 1999 while ministering in Little Rock, Ark. Her parish was a member of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, which requires all female church leaders to wear a clergy collar.

Smith said she wanted to create a woman’s version of the collar while still respecting the traditional collar. She enlisted the help of a seamstress and made a prototype.

However, Smith said her dream of revolutionizing women’s clergy wear lay hidden in her closet even after returning to Saginaw in 2002.

That changed earlier this year when she enrolled in Delta College’s entrepreneurial “boot camp” called “Fast TRAC New Venture.”

Debra Wieland, a business consultant with Delta College’s Small Business and Technology Development Center, said the 10-week course is part of a nationwide program to help small business owners research and develop a business plan.

Smith has been a positive presence throughout the course, Wieland said. “I would say she has every opportunity to make this a successful business venture,” Wieland said. “She’s done her homework.”

Smith began wearing her clergette regularly in March at her nondenominational church in Saginaw, and officially unveiled the clergette and her new business, BFD Designs, at Sunday’s (May 16) service at Kingdom Life Ministries International.

She plans to market the clergette at the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship’s national convention on July 7 in Atlanta, which coincides with the launch of her website to sell the clergette for $50 each.

Smith chose Bay City, Mich.-based Starmaker Designs to manufacture her clergy-inspired creation instead of going overseas.

“When I went to class we talked about how even though it may be cheaper for the others, it’s just better to stay with our own people in the United States,” she said.

Smith plans to eventually produce clergettes in various colors, sizes, and sleeve lengths.

Smith said she is not worried about offending traditional church leaders with her revamp of the collar, and hopes her invention will catch on quickly. She’s also seeking the endorsement of the Rev. Debra Morton, a professional designer and wife of Full Gospel Baptist Presiding Bishop Paul S. Morton.

“I think the women are going to appreciate them for their comfort and the fact that it compliments the look of clergy,” Smith said. “It keeps that look intact.”

(Eric Joyce writes for The Saginaw News in Saginaw, Mich.)