Brand founder and creative director Jenny Cook fell in love with the feminist iconography of the witch at age 7 when Buffy the Vampire Slayer first aired on UK TV. This became irreversibly fused with a passion for making at age 10 when her godmother Beany hosted a sewing day in advance of her school disco. Beany told her that when making your own clothes you can create anything you want and transform yourself into whoever you want to be. Naturally Jenny chose to channel her ultimate role model Buffy. Together they picked out some white cotton fabric and made a long summer dress to imitate Buffy’s highschool dance outfit. To finish off the look her dad whittled her a stake and she went off to the dance with the confidence of a badass feminist vampire hunter!
On reflection Jenny says “I think that on that day my lifelong love of fashion became infused with my passion for story telling. I’ve always been a film and TV buff and much of my inspiration comes from popular culture. This is the origin of Cosmic Drifters’ very playful aesthetic. Story-telling runs right through the brand, from our unique print designs to our social media content. We focus on expressing the kind of narratives that every outcast fantasises about being a part of. What I learned as a shy awkward weirdo-kid through strutting into my school disco, rocking my white dress and toting my offensive weapon was that if you embrace your particular brand of weirdness, rather than trying to fit in you will come into your own. You will find power and freedom through simply being yourself. If I achieve anything through Cosmic Drifters I want to give others that same main character energy when they put on our pieces. Everyone deserves to be the protagonist in their own lives after all!”
In 2011 Jenny met Sarah Mitchell, her close friend and co-designer at a house party. Sarah was perched on the arm of a dishevelled sofa sewing tiny flowers onto espadrille sandals. The pair fell into a deep conversation about their love for quirky prints and upcycling clothing. Upon graduating from uni in 2013 their overactive imaginations and zeal for storytelling guided them to start exploring narrative themes together through the mediums of print, garment design and photography. In 2015 they tried their hand at selling their creations online and Cosmic Drifters was born!
For a few years the brand existed as a part time venture run by Jenny with help from Sarah and other friends, initially from a two metre square partition in a dilapidated warehouse and later out of her tiny spare room (aka the cupboard under the stairs) but in December 2018 she decided to take a risk and launched a crowdfunding campaign via Kickstarter with the aim of growing her business. Jenny’s Kickstarter was a huge success and exceeded her target income by 150%! On March 1st 2019 Jenny put the money crowd funded by Kickstarter to good use and moved her business into a stunning HQ in the heart of Leeds. Aire Street Workshops is a hub of creativity that houses over 40 burgeoning creative enterprises.
Since moving into Aire Street Workshops Jenny has hired three full time creative accomplices and a cortège of freelancers to join her on her path. She now sources the brands’ printed fabric from the UKs largest fashion textiles printer- Fashion Fabrics in Leicester which has enabled Cosmic Drifters to stick to their pledge to keep production small scale, ethical and UK based. In 2022 the Cosmic Drifters team upgraded their office space to a larger unit in the same building and they now work from the greenery-filled plant paradise of their dreams!
Meet the Team:
Jenny - Our Coven Leader
The original Cosmic Drifter! Jenny is our founder, co-designer & creative director. The biggest Buffy fan you will ever meet, the 90s aesthetic is her go-to style inspiration. Jenny is also a plant mum extraordinaire – filling our HQ with 63 plants & counting!
Erin - Social Media & Communications
A woman of many talents, Erin fulfils many roles for Cosmic Drifters. From managing our social media accounts & creating content to answering your emails, she keeps things running smoothly behind the scenes. A true pisces through & through! She fills her free time with yoga, camping & her beautiful cats.
Sarah - Lead Print Designer
An original Cosmic Drifters founder! Sarah now focuses solely on print design, taking the lead on our most beloved prints. Check out her Instagram @_wild_lune_ for a sneak peek at her design process. A true crime junkie, Sarah loves listening to spooky podcasts & feeding her frogs. Ribbit.
Amy - Seamstress
Heading up our in-house production team. Amy sews your garments here at Cosmic Drifters HQ. A crochet making cutie, check out her own work on Instagram @crocheted.cuteness! When not at work she can be found at spin class, reading fantasy novels or spending time with her family.
Amelia - Pattern Cutter
A whizz with the scissors, Amelia cuts out each of your orders by hand at Cosmic Drifters HQ. She also assists Jenny in grading our clothing patterns. Our singing siren has a passion for music & a beautiful voice. In her free time she loves seeing bands live & watching musical theatre.
Amelia- Content Creator
Our lip sync assassin Amelia creates TikTok content and acts as our Gen Z to Millenial translator! The daughter of a witch, Amelia is familiar with all things mystical! She studies drama in York and enjoys spending holidays in Glastonbury.
Robbie - Print Illustrator
Jenny’s little brother! An accomplished illustrator in his own right, Robbie hops on board the Drifter train to contribute whimsical illustrations & t-shirt designs. Check out his Instagram @Rob.C.Art for magical content from the actual biggest Buffy fan you will ever meet…
Mairi, Gary & Deborah, aka DJ's Dressmakers
With decades of sewing experience, this ultimate tailoring trio even designed the costumes for our fave childhood TV show – ‘My Parents are Aliens’! On Friday nights they can be found sipping wine & having a good time in their neighbouring studio.
Liza Violet - Freelance Seamstress
The mesh master, Liza produces our mesh collection! A horror fan, she is known to stay up late watching all things creepy. She also plays keys like a wizz and owns a precious chihuahua called Grub!