Recent Long Beach State graduate achieves dream of starting an eco-friendly clothing line

Before business marketing major Jaime Lozoya started attending CSULB, he had a vision of creating his own environmentally friendly outdoor apparel brand. Lozoya’s passion for the environment inspired him to design clothing and place his first order for his brand in 2012 at age 18. With his brand, Eezy Supplies, Lozoya wants to communicate his love for the outdoors and his desire to protect nature.

 

When Lozoya started Eezy Supplies, he was only expecting to make some money on the side. He didn’t imagine that his side project would expand into the business that it is today.

 

Eezy Supplies started off small since the majority of Lozoya’s time was spent managing his workload as a full-time student. But as the scale of his business grew, the mission of Eezy Supplies remained the same: create a clothing line that encourages outdoor exploration and sustainable living.

“Our designs incorporate nature’s simplicity along with the practicality each piece of apparel has to offer,” Lozoya said. “I want my products to be useful and want them to be able to outlast the outdoor activities that I hoped would be accomplished in them.”

 

Lozoya’s love for the outdoors was strengthened by the lessons he learned as a student from Don DeGree, former professor and program leader for CSULB’s Wilderness Studies certificate program. Lozoya took DeGree’s kayaking, backpacking, rock climbing and mountaineering courses, where he learned the importance of wilderness conservation.

 

Lozoya’s pursuit of a degree in business marketing paired with his interest in protecting the environment led him to pursue an internship with the Office of Sustainability during his third year at CSULB. During his time as the office’s Marketing Intern he used his graphic design and photography skills to promote a variety of sustainability programs and events, and even designed the CSULB Sustainability logo that is still being used today. By creating a logo for the office, Lozoya learned about the unique challenges associated with branding sustainability, which influenced his own business.

 

While Lozoya interned with the Office of Sustainability, he was simultaneously working a part-time job and running Eezy Supplies on his own. Lozoya admits that he had a tough time managing everything, but the challenges that he faced with juggling school, work and his business have made him prouder of what he has accomplished.

 

As Eezy Supplies’ sales increased, Lozoya realized that more waste was being created from packaging and manufacturing. Wanting to stay true to his vision of creating an environmentally sustainable brand, Lozoya tackled the issue by launching a No Plastic Packaging campaign in 2014.

 

“Although we worked with eco-materials, we still had to face the fact that our packaging was

likely headed to a landfill,” Lozoya said.

 

Lozoya’s solution was to create reusable packaging that was sourced from 100 percent natural,  biodegradable fibers. In the future, Lozoya plans to take his sustainable business principles further by using all recycled polyester and organic cotton in Eezy Supplies clothing lines.

 

“I have the chance to make an impact on the fashion industry and create a platform to promote something positive for the environment,” Lozoya said.

 

In keeping with his experience and interest  in promoting sustainable brands, in 2017 Lozoya became the digital marketing consultant for Freewaters Footwear, a company that supports clean drinking water projects in Haiti, Kenya and the Philippines. More recently, Lozoya stepped away from that role to dedicate 100% of his time to Eezy Supplies. Since this will be the first time that he has had the chance to focus on his business full time, Lozoya is excited to see where he can take it.

 

When asked what advice he has for students who are interested in pursuing a career in marketing or business, Lozoya says they have to be willing to put in the extra hours to make their goal a reality. As long as there is unwaning determination and dedication to reach an objective, the sleepless nights will pay off in the end.

 

 

Learn more about Eezy Supplies at www.eezysupplies.com or check them out on Instagram and Facebook