Although she has been creating ‘all her life’, maker and designer Corey Hale only launched her brand Threadmill of Life in late 2023.
“Due to necessity — minimal financial resources — I grew up making my own clothes. My great aunt was a tailor and my mother was a very talented seamstress,” explains Corey.
“They taught me how to sew at the age of 5 and I made most of my clothes growing up. I grew to love wearing different clothes than others who bought from the mainstream racks.
“I inherited my mother’s love of fashion and we loved sharing clothing ideas right up until she passed in February 2025. She used to make beautiful suits to wear to work and had her hats made by a local milliner using her suit fabric. I have definitely inherited her love of shoes and bags too.”
A CONCEPT CREATED FROM NEED
Treadmill of Life is a brand focused on creating and making useful and fun bits and pieces, in particular handy little clips that Corey calls the “Combo Clip”.
“The concept arose out of an identified need,” Corey says. “I truly believe we all need to be SunSmart, although I wasn’t very good when I was younger, but now I always wear a hat or cap.
“I found that when I was travelling and wandering in and out of galleries and shops it became inconvenient to always stuff my hat into a bag and I wished I could just clip in onto my bag or waist so that it did not lose shape and importantly, was handy to put back on when I went outside again.
“So I came home from an overseas trip and designed the ‘Combo Clip’. It can be used for so many things including keys etc. From this idea I moved to wrist straps for keys and phones plus phone straps or lanyards, and bag straps.”
Corey’s products come in a range of colours and materials, including glam rhinestones and tweed-like textures. As Corey says, they are “colourful, fun and practical for everyone to use”.
The brand’s name came from a time when Corey says she was “at a crossroads” in her life.
“I wanted to come up with a name that resonated with me and wound all the elements of my life into a creative and sewing connotation — hence the word ’Threadmill” and then ‘of life’,” explains Corey.
Despite launching in December 2023 with a pop-up shop, the sudden passing of Corey’s husband has meant that she is only now refocusing on her brand.
STRONG AND SUSTAINABLE
As an “avid op shopper”, Corey says that she intends to use as many recycled materials as possible for her Threadmill of Life pieces.
“I make all the items myself and much of the fabric is thrifted or I have sourced fabric that is made in Australia, however it was impossible to source the hardware from an Australian supplier.”
However, Corey says that “the alloy clips have been road tested for strength to ensure that anything that is clipped on is secure and the product is hand washable”.
“I love colour, glitz and glamour so some of my favourites are the more sparkly items and I can try to source colour and texture to suit personal taste and make the clips to order.”
“Longer term I would like to see how much interest there is in my product and am keen to understand what people want so that I can turn my mind to creating items that people can use.”
You can buy these handy clips online at threadmilloflife.com and you can follow the brand at @threadmill_of_life
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