Mustard Pie Clothing – The secret behind the successful boutique clothing brand for girls

Mustard Pie Clothing is a popular baby and kids clothing designer brand for girls only. 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.

The Mustard Pie story began when Shannon was expecting her first daughter. She was laid off from her job and investigated various ways to earn a living from home. First, she started 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 girls’ boutique clothing for the highest bidder and she was blown away. She was inspired and motivated to learn how to create those clothes herself. She has always been interested in design, so she decided to learn to sew by herself and thus she took her first step in creating Mustard Pie Clothing. Around November 2007, she began taking sewing lessons, reading books, and buying fabric 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 a real clothing brand to meet the demand. That’s when Mustard Pie Clothing was born.

Choosing the name of her new girls’ boutique clothing brand, Shannon recalled a fun 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 big jar of mustard! She filled the bottom of the pie to the top and innocently created a strange mustard pie. This story came to mind when Shannon was starting her brand because it reflects the vivid imaginations of children, just as every garment Shannon creates reflects the essence of childhood.

Mustard Pie Clothing is fresh, elegant and feminine. It’s layered with bold prints, chic patterns, and gorgeous colors for every day or special occasions. Shannon’s designs are always made with children in mind. She wouldn’t create anything that her own child wouldn’t want to wear. For example, the clothing is soft cotton and tagless for comfort. Each garment is carefully designed and the designer encourages her daughter to provide feedback and suggestions before the garment comes to life. A typical outfit comes with several options so the customer can 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 hitting store shelves. Mustard Pie releases 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 submit photos of her daughter in Mustard Pie Clothing. She then chooses some children to model the company’s next collection. Mustard Pie also runs contests to show appreciation for continued fan support. Shannon’s business has been growing each 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.