March 31, 2026Visiting Artist
Pips Children's Clothing
Some brands come together with a whole strategy behind them, and some just… happen in the middle of real life. A nickname, a snack on the table, a kid asking for “pips, please” and suddenly, it sticks in a way you can’t overthink.
That’s how pips began. Pips is well-made clothing built from materials that already lived a life before this one. This brand is shaped by family, by habit, by years of making and being around making.
We talked with the maker behind pips about sourcing vintage textiles, sewing alongside her kids, and why a single pair of pants might carry five different stories at once.
my children's clothing brand is called pips. It was inspired by my daughter, we often call her a "little pip" because she is very petite in size but so spicy,and funny enough it is also how she says "chips". When my husband and I were brainstorming brand names we had a bag of chips out and our daughter walked over and asked for a "pips, please" it was meant to be.
What is your creation process?
I use scrap and vintage material to create my clothing and a big part of my process is finding material from second hand shops, etsy, ebay and fbmarket. I really enjoy the hunt. Playing with the different vintage patterns is my favorite part of designing a pair of pants. If my son is close by I will often call him in for his approval, he has an eye for a 5 year old and it’s fun to include him in the creative process. I love that there can be up to 4 or 5 different pieces of fabric each with their own history and story in one single pair of pants.
What kinds of music do you listen to if any?
If I am sewing when my kids are home the background noise is their music to keep them occupied, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mayhem soundtrack or Frozen. If I’m alone I enjoy the silence or throw on some 90s/early 2000s classics.
What inspires your work, how do you select the textiles you choose to work with?
I learned to sew from my mom and my grandmother and still use the machine my grandmother bought me in college. My mom had a line of clothing when I was younger, making clothes from vintage chenille bedspreads so I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I use vintage and scrap material because it has a history and I want to give it a new life and save it from a landfill. I’ve noticed pips make people smile and bringing a little bit of joy to someone’s day in this world we live in makes me happy.