Cozmeena? Yes, Cozmeena.

COZMEENA (kohz-mee-nah) The brand name for a philosophical, light-hearted lifestyle platform founded by Lisa Luckett. Luckett described Cozmeena, which is centered around knitting functional yet fashionable shawls for those who are enduring difficulties, as a “connection to positive thinking.” She compared the company initiatives to the relief efforts following 9/11, explaining that “the outrageous patriotism” after the domestic tragedy can be directly linked to the outreach goals of her business.

 After facing the tragedy of losing her husband to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, one would think that Fair Haven resident Lisa Luckett would be grief-stricken and overcome with lethargy. Instead, this stage of Luckett’s life served as a catalyst in the creation of her lifestyle brand Cozmeena. The brand has a particular focus on outreach for mothers, inspired by Luckett’s endeavor of guiding her three children, Jennifer, Billy and Timmy, through losing their father while still trying to maintain a sense of inner stability. “Nobody is taking care of the mothers in the world,” Luckett said. “As a mother with children, you can’t break down when things get rough. You are responsible for helping other people, but you need to help yourself too.” Driven by these thoughts, Luckett crafted her first Cozmeena as a gift for her therapist by using an original pattern loosely based on a store-bought poncho. In the first few years alone, Luckett knit and distributed 50 Cozmeenas, giving one to the neighbor who coined the brand name.

A neighbor fawned over the garment, she said, while describing it as a fashionable pashmina enveloping her in a “big warm hug.” From then on, the term Cozmeena was adopted, with the trademark describing the “coziness meets glamour” nature of the piece. 

Beginners can purchase their first kit on the company website for $125. The package includes knitting needles, a crochet hook, instruction, philosophy, lessons and a choice of Cozmeena brand washable wool yarn from a selection of 28 colors.  Members who knit from home can access YouTube tutorials with a passcode to successfully guide them through the process. If you live locally, Lisa and other members hold open knitting sessions at their homes which is announced on their Facebook page.

Finished Cozmeenas are numbered, sealed and noted as “an original work of wearable art” under a personal username on the company website. However, Luckett still views the Cozmeena itself as a single branch of an infinite tree diagram for her business, and plans to offer kitchen utensils and cooking merchandise in the future.

Luckett summarized Cozmeena as a way of thanking those who took care of her during times of trouble, and in turn as an outlet through which she can do the same for others. “When you knit for somebody who actively needs it, it is a miracle. You are infusing your love, prayer and energy into something that will now hold them,” she said. “And besides, I’ll be paying back for the rest of my life. I’m a 9/11 widow.”

Images courtesy of Cozmeena

Parts of this post were extracted from an article written by Cassidy DeStefano in the Asbury Park Press