About Me
Hi, my name is Saira. It rhymes with ‘Tyra,’ and translates to ‘Wanderer.’ I started The Cosmic Wanderer Collective as an artistic endeavor, created for the purposes of healing, both for myself and others whom I connect with through my art. These offerings include custom henna design, hair shimmers, and handmade jewelry.
How it All Began
I learned the art of henna (or ‘mehndi’ in the Indian language), when I was a young child. It was customary to apply it for weddings and cultural ceremonies. The act of applying it with friends and family is still a vivid childhood memory. I got away from the art in my early years, after an elementary school teacher demanded I wash the henna off my hands. This left me feeling embarrassed to embrace the art form in my adolescent years.
Fast forward to 2018 – I left my job and home to journey to India, where I let the universe be my guide. I dove into this art form, reconnecting with my younger self. After working one-on-one with a mehndi artist, I put my skills to the test, using henna as currency for food and lodging through my travels.
When I returned to the U.S., I decided the inner artist must come forward and thus, The Cosmic Wanderer was born.
Expanding the Offerings
Immediately upon my return, I held my first ever pop up in the states, in a small Eastern Oregon town I’d once lived in. A friend who offers hair shimmers there, suggested I add that to my repertoire and bring the shimmers to Buffalo, where I intended to land after several years away.
During the early pandemic months of 2020, another element was incorporated into the business – handmade, small batch jewelry, made from repurposed drum cymbals. Taking a break from seeing clients provided some extra time for experimentation. With a partner who is a drummer, we began playing with his cracked drum cymbals, which held too much connection to simply toss away. We found a way to give these instruments a second life. These items are all one-of-a-kind, and collections are released once or twice a year, depending on time and materials available.
In 2021, I expanded physically to my first brick and mortar space at the historic Niagara Frontier Food Terminal (NFFT). Click here for directions to my studio!
