Meet Jay Orozco of Creature of Habit in Highland Park

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jay Orozco.

Jay, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born and raised in LA, first generation, and Latina. I’m the oldest of three and was raised by a single mother who immigrated from El Salvador. Growing up, I was inherently drawn to art and any sort of artistic endeavor that came my way. Being the oldest and having a single parent as a mom, I had to grow up very quickly and practically become a parent to my siblings because of my mom’s work schedule. With the responsibility of caring for my siblings, I always looked for an outlet at the end of the day. Given I was raised in a house with seamstresses, sewing naturally became a big part of my life. Style and fashion truly spoke to me because of its capacity for expression and the empowerment it provides for individuality. My style has changed a lot through the years — from my tomboy phase to my pretty girl swag, to my emo days — but what I like about fashion is that it’s an incredibly fun and accurate marker of emotions and stages in your life.

I started Creature of Habit after a bad break up four years ago in 2015. I felt depleted and empty and I needed to do something to feed my soul. Instead of going down a troubled path, I used all that anguish and channeled it into something productive. I had plenty of inspiration from that heartbreak and I just couldn’t contain it. And as most of you might know, its common that we curate ideas that are most pivotal after a traumatic experience and that’s sort of what happened here. From that, Creature of Habit was born. I had thought about starting a clothing line years prior but for whatever reason, there was always a barrier or something holding me back from truly giving it my all. Fast forward to today, I’ve had the privilege of selling over 4,000 pieces to 80 different countries, as well as collaborating with amazing artists from around the world.

Has it been a smooth road?
LOL in no way has this been easy. I’ve had many roadblocks put in my way through the years. Between Instagram shutting me down twice, and being rejected by stores as well as vendor opportunities, its been a roller coaster mentally and overall. Another hardship is the factor of vulnerability and need for me, as an artist, to understand and accept that the public will judge my artwork. The hardest part is being able to take the criticism. Lastly, I am self- funded, which puts a whole different strain on the road to success. I work a 9-5 and side jobs to make sure I can properly fund my passion and that can be hard to juggle at times.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Creature of Habit story. Tell us more about the business.
Creature of Habit was born with the intention of encouraging unapologetic self-expression. It’s a global lifestyle brand that embodies youth and playful irreverence and is in very much me. I like to think I created this streetwear brand for the freethinker, the lover, and the habitué who wears their vice on their sleeve. I pride myself on supporting local businesses, which is why all the items are designed and manufactured or handmade by me in Los Angeles, to ensure the utmost quality and standards of the brand. I think I am most proud of the fact that Creature of Habit is an independently owned and independently funded company ran by myself. I don’t come from rich parents or hand outs so the fact that it’s 100% funded by a woman of color is a big deal and something I am proud of.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I already see shifts within the four years I’ve been doing this. I think everything has migrated to e-commerce vs. the tradition brick and mortar which gives small companies like myself a bigger platform to showcase and create our own worlds without the financial stress of a brick and mortar or being tied to one specific location. I also think independent streetwear companies continue to grow in popularity. Super excited for what the next 5-10 years bring to the world of fashion and myself.

Pricing:

• T-shirts $30
• Jackets $85-$115

Contact Info:

• Website: shopcohla.com
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credit:
@ktparkerphoto

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