We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cori Dyer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Cori, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

I started Collection of Threads on accident. Well, kinda. It was a bit of divine intervention… There’s a bit of a cool story in there but ultimately, the perfect encounter led to me being invited to do my first ever pop-up at Soho Chicago. I accepted the offer which meant I had to start a business from scratch in less than 30 days so I could be ready to sell my pieces. The name is a literal reflection of the business. In its rawest form, it is a collection of threads and fibers, which comprise the pieces of clothing accessories and apparel that I sell. Each piece is a collection of threads, and the collection as a whole is a collection of threads.

Cori, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

So I started Collection of Threads on accident. October 2021. I hosted a swap & sip. This idea came about as the result of a good home girl of mine and talking about flipping our closets from warm to cold weather months, and having really good pieces we knew other people could appreciate. We considered donations but one thing that’s really hard to do in Chicago is donate clothing. This was due in part to Covid-19 restrictions, but also a lot of shelters prefer new clothing because bedbugs are a thing and they aren’t willing to take the risk. It’s understandable. I’m an avid thrifter and had an overflow of clothes I needed to get rid of to make space for the new. Mind you, these really good pieces that maybe they don’t fit anymore, maybe they don’t fit my style of the season, but I know somebody would appreciate them so I decided to do a swap and sip. The concept: my friends were invited to clean out their closet’s and bring their gently used pieces to sustainably swap (or sell) with my other friends, all over big glasses of wine. Turns out, I was only one who really brought anything to swap or sell, but it was a hit! Everybody had a great time and many left with fab pieces that they could add to their collection.

Afterwards another home girl who came to the swap & sip hosted a watch party for the final season of Insecure. This is where the divine intervention comes in. While there the friend intros me to her good home girl IB, who runs Refine Collective. We chat it up and she mentions that she was hosting a pop-up at Soho House, Chicago on Nov 20, 2021 and at the time she only had a few vendors, and invited me to sell my pieces. I absolutely accepted the invitation without hesitation. From then on I was all in! I had less than 30 days to come up with a business, including a name, logo, start-up materials and a POS system! I had to start a business in less than 30 days out of necessity, not initially out of intention.

Mind you, I had never started a business before and had no idea what I was doing. Prior to COT I spent years behind the desk in corporate sales and marketing positions that just never seemed to click for me. But bayyyybeee that first pop-up unlocked something in me I didn’t know I needed. I often say, when I’m doing pop-ups, interacting with new and potential clients, styling people on the spot, connecting with strangers based on our shared appreciation of my creative expression through clothing & accessories… I’m in my bag. I’m in my element. Small example, anybody who knows me, knows, I drink a shit ton of water. Like, even my doctor said it was too much. Which means I’m always using the bathroom. 30 min before the 12p start I guzzled 32oz of water, out of habit. I was so immersed throughout the pop-up, 5.5 hours later, after not until after the event was over and crowd had dissipated… that I realized one, I was about to pee myself, but more surprisingly… I didn’t even think about using the bathroom the entire pop-up. That’s how locked in I was and it felt good. I felt fulfillment in a way I never had. Ultimately, that’s how Collection of Threads was born.

Collection Of Threads had her first birthday about a month ago which means I am still figuring things out and having a lot of fun doing it. I went through the first year and I was not in the red that was a success for me. I participated multiple pop-ups. To create some work-life balance I relocated the Collection of Threads Studio from my apartment to a brick & mortar which is actually inside of a really nice storage unit, which helps me avoid the big overhead cost that comes with standard brick and mortar location. The new Studio allows me to store my pieces, so it isn’t overwhelming my apartment. My private clients love it bc they can book an appointment and shop the entire collection. Many mention they love the experience because its one on one, and I eliminate the stress that comes with the typical retail shopping experience. Often times they’ll tell me ahead of time what they’re looking for. They may say I have a vacation coming up, or I am looking for things for work or need an outfit for when I go out… which is fun for me bc I can curate a custom collection based on their complimenting their individual style, size, body type and even transition them into pieces that maybe push their style envelop a bit. BUT I DO HAVE ONE RULE: “the piece must do something for you”. Growing up when I would get dressed and come downstairs my mom would look at my outfit and honestly say “that xyz isn’t doing anything for you”. As I style my clients I keep the same integrity. I’m not going to sell you something for the hell of it. It’s got to look good on you and in fact do something for you. I want you to be pleased when you get home so you’ll come back to COT.

Going into 2023, I want to see Collection of Threads build off the momentum of this year by doubling the amount of pop-ups, having more private client studio visits, doing more closet consultations where I collaborate with clients on a game plan to achieve their ideal style by editing their current closet and filling the style gaps as desired.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Above all most of my new clients come from pop-ups. People are usually introduced to me at the pop-ups and I let them know that I have a Collection of Threads Studio which they can shop the entire collection, afterwards we connect often through Instagram DM to make an appointment that accommodates their schedule. Other times it’s word of mouth via friends etc. Then, of course, as I am out and about in the world I try to let people know I have a business. There’s def opportunity for me to step up my marketing and social media presence, I def want to go harder about getting the word out about COT this year

Have you ever had to pivot?

(ask me about this, there’s more).

I’m literally in the middle of a life pivot right now. After 10 years of being in the marketing advertising sales corporate space many things led to another and I realize that that space was not aligned with my brain. I have ADHD. Working from home was the straw that broke the camels back for me sitting in my apartment and trying to stare at a computer screen is torture so it all came to a head this fall, and which I realize this is not going to work for me, working in a corporate environment and I’m really gonna have to trust myself to make Collection of Threads work. It is something that comes naturally it is something that I did brings me joy and fulfillment, and ultimately, I’m betting on myself right now to make this business thrive.

Contact Info:

• Website: collectionofthreads.com
• Instagram: @collectionofthreads
• Facebook: @collectionofthreads

Image Credits
(first two with filter: photo credit, @ambercita)