Mustard Pie Clothing is a popular designer brand of baby and children’s clothing just for girls. Founded in 2008, the Mustard Pie brand is designed by Shannon Rihm and is located in Chicago, Illinois. The collections are available for girls from sizes 3 months – 12 years.
Mustard Pie’s story began when Shannon was expecting her first child. She got fired from her job and researched various ways to make a living from home. First, she opened a small business on eBay that resold designer clothes that she found for sale at local stores. Eventually, she stumbled across designers on Etsy and eBay making custom boutique girls’ clothing for the highest bidder and she was blown away. She was inspired and motivated to learn how to create those clothes herself. She was always interested in design, so she decided to learn to sew on her own, and thus, she took her first step to create Mustard Pie Clothing. Around November 2007, she began taking sewing lessons, reading books, and buying fabrics to use in her design experiments. After many hours of practice and much trial and error, she began designing and creating unique boutique clothing for girls. Soon, orders poured in from all over the world. Her business was booming and she made the important decision to start an actual clothing brand to meet the demand. That’s when Mustard Pie Clothing was born.
Choosing the name for her new boutique girls’ clothing brand, Shannon was reminded of a funny story from when she was a child. At just five years old, she tried to replicate her mother’s famous lemon meringue pie for Mother’s Day. She searched the cupboard and found what she could only assume was the delicious yellow pie filling: a large jar of mustard! She stuffed the bottom of the tart to the top and innocently created a strange mustard tart. This story came to mind when Shannon was starting her brand because it reflects the vivid imagination of children, just as every piece of clothing Shannon creates reflects the essence of childhood.
Mustard Pie Clothing is fresh, elegant and feminine. It’s layered with bold prints, stylish patterns, and beautiful colors for everyday or special occasions. Shannon’s designs are always made with children in mind. She would not create anything that her own child would not like to use. For example, the clothing is made of soft cotton and is tagless for added comfort. Each garment is carefully designed and the designer encourages her daughter to give feedback and suggestions before the garment comes to life. A typical outfit comes with several options for the customer to mix and match to create a look as unique as her child’s. The brand produces a limited number of garments, so many customers pre-order their favorite girls’ boutique outfits, as the collection often sells out before it hits store shelves. Mustard Pie launches new clothing collections several times a year. Regular lines starting in fall and spring. Extended looks appear throughout the year, such as in late fall and around Christmas and Easter.
Shannon encourages her client to send photos of her daughter in Mustard Pie Clothing. She then picks some kids to model the company’s next collection. Mustard Pie also runs contests to show appreciation for the continued support from fans. Shannon’s business has been growing every year and in 2014 she launched a new sister brand, Jak & Peppar. This new line of girls’ boutique clothing is designed for “the free spirit in all of us.” In the years to come, Jak & Peppar and Mustard Pie Clothing will continue to grow and create beautiful outfits that reflect the beautiful and unique side of youth and femininity.