Story and Photography by
Annabella Mires
Some people need a creative outlet to let their imagination run wild and create something meaningful. For Andy Lozano, there are four outlets.
From sketchbook and mannequin to recipes and cake, from imagination to successful brands, entrepreneur Lozano wears multiple hats while running four businesses: Pillboxed, Elev, Build a Caze, and Odette Garden Cakes.
Lozano’s first love, fashion, stemmed from when she was younger and bought Vogue magazines to learn more about brands like Louis Vuitton and Chanel.
Now, at only 27, Lozano has made it into Vogue Mexico and Latin America with her brand Pillboxed and still manages to be a one woman-show, running all four of her businesses on her own.
“I came up with the name Pillboxed because of Jackie Kennedy,” Lozano said. “I love her and she’s a fashion icon. When JFK was killed, she was wearing Halston’s pillbox hat, and after that, pillbox hat sales went up. I wanted my brand to reflect how Jackie made everything seem so elegant and sophisticated.”
Despite not knowing how to sketch designs or sew, Lozano enrolled in EPCC where she realized how much learning on her own she would have to face.
“In class, they’ll teach you how to make clothes, but not teach you how to sell it,” she said. “I had to learn a lot about marketing and e-commerce and even bought a ‘Fashion Sketching for Dummies’ book since they don’t really teach you those things when you’re getting your fashion degree.”
While starting Pillboxed during the pandemic, Lozano launched face masks that successfully landed her an invite to a Vogue pop-up in Mexico.
“I began Pillboxed making face masks during the pandemic,” Lozano said. “Then the opportunity presented itself and I was invited to participate in a pop-up for Vogue Mexico. I got along with the photographer, and we just started taking photos around the hotel. We worked with some models, and I was able to dress one of them in a design of mine. We were just having fun with it, and all of a sudden, he tagged me on a social media post and that’s how I found out my design made it into print in Vogue Mexico.”
In addition to needing a creative mind to become the founder of several different companies, Lozano says manifestation has been a big part of her success.
“I had it in mind that I was going to meet Karla Martinez, the editor in chief of Vogue Mexico and Latin America. I ended up meeting her, and she even wore the Pillboxed face masks,” Lozano said. “We make our own limitations. I still limit myself, but I feel like the moments I’ve been the most successful are the times I’ve feared nothing. What you set your mind to and what you visualize, will happen.”
Fast fashion is definitely not in Lozano’s vocabulary, with her either sending her designs to a team in Mexico who helps manufacture her clothes, or even hand sewing some of her passion projects herself, she strives for the best. Lozano’s designs for Pillboxed consist of flamboyant silhouettes with various meshes such as translucent and glittery patterns fit for the most exuberant stylers.
She hopes she can bring fashionable clothing to confident dressers.
“I want people to feel unique and stand out when wearing my designs,” she said. “I want people to feel comfortable in their own skin. As time went on, I started appreciating simplicity. I’m changing, so I feel like my designs and brand are changing with me.”
While following her passion for fashion and entrepreneurship, Lozano says she’s also realistic and knows that following the market can sometimes be better than following your brand, especially regarding the competitiveness of fashion.
“I feel like fashion is romanticized so much,” Lozano said. “Many people in the industry want to have a brand, walk the runway, and be famous, but I don’t think people realize what it takes to be the next Chanel. Being an entrepreneur is hard and there are days when I feel like it’s too much. Sometimes I wish I could just be ‘normal’ and have a consistent paycheck, but at the same time, I would be miserable if I’m not creating and building my things.”
In addition to running Pillboxed, Lozano also runs an aesthetic garden cake company named Odette, and a jewelry company called Elev. However, her current venture, Build a Caze, allows customers to choose phone cases they can customize with charms and pop sockets, providing a nostalgic feeling that’s comparable to a Build-a-Bear experience most people who were children in the early 2000s might feel connected to.
“I’m creating brands like Build a Caze or Elev because I see an opportunity in the market and have fun with it,” she said. “For Build a Caze, I wanted a product that had an in-person element as well as having a demographic that is super wide and can span from kids nine years old to older generations. I wanted to create a product that I can sell on TikTok or Amazon because it just moves fast, and everyone needs a phone case.”
From creating four different brands and running them all on her own, to being showcased in the world’s leading fashion magazine, Lozano says none of that would have been possible if she didn’t believe in herself.
“I was afraid to invest in myself,” she said. “My family is full of entrepreneurs, so I used to compare myself a lot to my brother and I just felt that pressure all the time, but I was raised with the idea that working for someone else is only building their empire, not yours. When you’re creating your brand, you’re working for yourself. If you’re messing up, at least you’re messing up for yourself and learning for you.”
It seems creativity comes naturally to Lozano, evidently, the lust for entrepreneurship runs in her blood. Unbeknownst to her, Lozano was actually a fashion prodigy whose grandmother had the same hopes and dreams as her.
“My grandma was the only person in my family who was into fashion, but I didn’t find out until later on,” she said. “She taught me to match my bag with my shoes and other style tricks like that. Towards the end of her life, she started telling my mom and I how she was good at designing when she was young and was even offered a scholarship. But back then, women didn’t have much voice, so her dad pushed her to get married instead. She just turned to me and told me ‘You know what, you’re actually living my dream.”
With Build a Caze booming and appearing at pop-ups in El Paso, Lozano is continuing her streak of successful creative ventures. Fashion, jewelry, cakes, and phone cases. We’ll be watching to see what industry Lozano takes on next.
