We recently connected with Briana Ferguson and have shared our conversation below.

Briana , appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My mission was born from survival and shaped by purpose. I didn’t start with investors or mentors. I started with a sewing machine, a little faith, and a lot of frustration. I taught myself embroidery during one of the lowest moments of my life. I had no roadmap, just the determination to make something real out of what felt like nothing. When I finally got it right and shared it online, the love I received showed me I had something special.

That moment led to the birth of BrimadeIt, my embroidery and fashion brand, and later, We Made It Academy a youth entrepreneurship program teaching fashion, branding, business skills, and confidence. I built it because I know what it feels like to be underestimated, overlooked, and under-resourced. And I also know how powerful it is to learn a skill, create a product, and realize that you can build your own future.

My mission is deeply personal. I’m a Black woman, a mother, a creator, and a survivor. I’m building the kind of support system and opportunity I wish I had. This isn’t just about clothes or machines it’s about empowerment, creativity, and legacy. I want the youth, especially those who feel forgotten, to know: you’re not too late, too poor, or too different to succeed. You just need a spark. That’s what my work provides a spark. And that’s why this mission will always be bigger than me

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Briana Ferguson, and I’m the founder of BrimadeIt the only woman- and minority-owned embroidery company in Western New York and the creator of We Made It Academy, a fashion and business training program for youth. I specialize in embroidery, vinyl, and DTF apparel with a bold, unapologetic edge but my deeper work is in empowering people to transform their creativity into currency.

I didn’t come from fashion or business I came from survival. I taught myself embroidery during a dark time, not knowing it would lead to a full brand, community recognition, and the chance to teach others. I built BrimadeIt from scratch with no investors, no factory, no big team just skill, consistency, and hustle. Over time, I became known for high-quality, bold custom pieces that tell stories whether it’s a business logo on a hoodie or a legacy jacket stitched for a family event.

But I always knew this had to go deeper. That’s why I launched We Made It Academy: a program that teaches students ages 11–21 how to sew, use Cricut and embroidery machines, launch a brand, register a business, and build their confidence. It’s fashion, but it’s also future-building. My students don’t just leave with skills many leave with their first business, their first sale, their first vision board.

What sets me apart is that I don’t just make clothes I create access. I provide the space, tools, and mentorship I never had. I speak my truth through my designs. I wear my pain and purpose on my sleeves literally. I’ve never had a perfect path, but I’ve always been passionate. That’s what built this brand.

I’m proud that BrimadeIt has gone from a single machine in my living room to being recognized across Buffalo winning awards, being featured, and now mentoring the next generation. But I’m even prouder that I’m still standing. That I didn’t fold. That I turned my creativity into a career and am helping others do the same.

For anyone following my brand, I want them to know this: you don’t need permission to be powerful. You just need to believe in your vision and build it, stitch by stitch

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Yes and it saved me.

BrimadeIt started as a side hustle during one of the most uncertain chapters of my life. I didn’t have a business plan. I didn’t even know how to sew. I had just gotten my hands on an embroidery machine and was determined to figure it out late nights, trial and error, watching YouTube tutorials and crying when it didn’t work. But one night… it clicked. I posted my first successful piece online, and the reaction was overwhelming. People saw something real in it something that felt like me.

That one machine in my living room became the foundation for BrimadeIt, my custom embroidery brand and eventually, We Made It Academy, my youth entrepreneurship program.

I didn’t have funding, a storefront, or a mentor. I had drive, creativity, and the belief that I could turn thread into power. I built my brand one order at a time, learning how to price, design, deal with customers, and market myself while still healing and surviving real-life setbacks. Then came my first big moments:
• I received the 2023 Minority Manufacturing Award in Buffalo
• I secured partnerships with local leaders and organizations
• I built a full program for students to learn embroidery, fashion, branding, and business
• And I taught young people some who never saw themselves as entrepreneurs how to create something that was theirs

Now, BrimadeIt is my full-time business. I run a growing production team, manage custom orders, and run We Made It Academy to empower the next generation.

What started as me trying to make something out of nothing became a mission, a brand, and a movement. I’m still scaling, still learning, still building but now I know for sure: I didn’t just start a hustle. I created a legacy

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

There was a point in my journey where everything seemed like it was crashing at once. I had lost the physical location for my business. My finances were low. I had machines but no consistent help, no team, no space to even properly work. On top of that, I was trying to raise my daughter, hold it together emotionally, and still show up for clients like everything was fine.

What people didn’t see was the nights I cried while working, the times I almost gave up, or the times I had to choose between keeping the lights on or reinvesting in my business. What kept me going was the vision. I knew I wasn’t just stitching fabric I was stitching together a future.

Even when I had no shop, I still created from home. Even when people doubted me, I kept posting, promoting, and learning. When I had to pause the youth academy due to lack of funding, I restructured it into a one-on-one Saturday program to keep the mission alive. And when I had no car, no big orders, and no clear way forward I used what I did have: faith, skill, and a brand no one could duplicate.

Resilience to me means pushing through when nobody’s clapping, when nothing looks certain, and when you have to rebuild again and again. BrimadeIt didn’t happen because I had it easy. It happened because I refused to quit. That’s the kind of energy I stand on and that’s what I pour into everything I create.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.brimadeit.com
• Instagram: BriMadeit1
• Facebook: BriMadeIt
• Yelp: Brimadeit llc

Image Credits

Trinity Ferguson – photographer