Mustard was founded by sisters Becca (based in Newcastle, Australia) and Jess (based in London, UK) in 2018. They’d always dreamed of starting a business together, and when pondering the question of something they loved that was uniquely them, they were drawn to Becca’s small collection of vintage metal lockers.
We could say that the rest is history, but that wouldn’t truly capture the Mustard story and the years of hard work and consistency this ever-growing team has put in in order to create the global brand we now know and love. We recently caught up with co-founder Becca Stern.
It’s been quite a while since we last caught up, what are the main things that have happened at Mustard since we last spoke in 2020?
Oh wow, looking back I actually can’t believe how much has happened personally and professionally since the beginning of 2020. Jess and I have both had babies since then. I had my third son, Otis, in October 2020 and Jess had her daughter, Poppy, in August 2021. Jess got married, we’ve both moved houses and both our husbands have now joined Team Mustard!
From a business perspective, Mustard has gone through some pretty significant changes too. When we last spoke Jess was planning to move to the US to establish the business Stateside – but we all know what happened in 2020! So, we had to completely pivot our plans and ended up launching into the US market in August 2021, completely managed from afar. But we weren’t done expanding! We then went on to launch in Europe in 2022, meaning we now operate in four global regions.
We’ve grown from a team of five to thirty spread across our two offices in London and Newcastle. We’ve also grown our product range, we now have seven locker styles available in a rainbow of 12 colourways, with more VERY exciting products to be launched very soon.
In the story, we talked a bit about how Jess and Becca manage to make things work despite being located on opposite sides of the world. As the business and team has grown, how do things look for you now?
When we started Mustard, we would start and finish our days on FaceTime, catching up on what we’d done throughout the day while the other was sleeping. These days, that’s still often the case, but now there are a lot more moving parts and people that we’re each managing, so the content of our catch-ups has definitely evolved.
Since travel opened back up again we’ve been really lucky that we’ve been able to see each other in-person multiple times a year. Jess has come to Australia, I’ve been to the UK and then we’ve also met in China to visit our factory. Now, with so many kids involved the trips take a lot more logistical coordination, but it’s so worth it because there’s nothing better than finally being in the same room again!
A recent achievement you’re most proud of?
Something I’m incredibly proud of is our recent Pride campaign. In June this year, to align with London and New York Pride festivals, we launched our first limited-edition product, a rainbow locker.
We wanted to make sure that this extra special locker didn’t just look good, but had a positive impact too, so we decided to donate 50% of all sales to Outright International. Outright is an amazing LGBTIQ human rights advocacy organisation that combats human rights violations and abuses against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer people.
We had really high hopes for how The Rainbow Standard might be received, but we had no point of comparison, so we weren’t sure what to expect. The result completely blew us away! We sold out in some regions in only a few hours and globally within a week. We quickly extended the campaign to include an additional product run by pre-order, and the end result was a donation of over $75,000 AUD.
We are so proud to have been able to donate such a meaningful amount towards the essential work Outright International does for the LGBTIQ community around the world.
How long did it take to come up with a name for The Standard and what did that process look like?
Haha, The Standard was actually a tricky one to name – we were calling it The Low-Lowdown internally for ages. There were a few other options that were floated at different times throughout the product development process, and then a few of us sat down one evening and did some ‘very serious business brainstorming’ aka had a few cocktails, and we hit on The Standard.
I love a product name that incorporates a cheeky double meaning. Yes it’s a tv-unit, which is a pretty standard product, but it’s also raising the stakes and setting a new standard. I’m a very visual person so I really like how the word kind of reflects the shape of the locker too! It’s the little details like that I obsess over!
We know the Newcastle team like to get out and about together – best place you’ve eaten at recently?
Being Islington-based, Equium is always a favourite for team lunches. For our winter social last month we had some delicious cocktails at the QT rooftop, followed by dinner at Ginger Megs which is always a winner! We’re actually about to move offices to Parry Street right opposite The Edwards, so we’re really excited to explore all the great options closer to town and make the most of being next door to Sherwood!
Where can we find your lockers in Newcastle and surrounds?
You can find a selection of our lockers at MiiO Store in Tighes Hill. We also recently started working with Heritage Gardens in East Maitland, so make sure you pop in to their beautiful onsite homewares store next time you visit.
Want to win a Mustard locker of your own? With huge thanks to the Mustard team, a Lowdown in the colour of your choice could be yours. Enter here!
