We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brigette Lizarraras a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Brigette, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?

I attribute who I am today to the upbringing I received from both my devoted mother and my caring, strong-willed grandmother, who played a significant role in my life. My Nana was born in Atoyac, Jalisco, Mexico. After having three of her six children, she immigrated to the United States, despite facing multiple deportations. Her journey in pursuit of a better life for her family and the American Dream is a story deeply ingrained in my memory and heart.

In the United States, while working as a maid for a wealthy American family named the Johnsons, she met my grandfather, who was employed as a landscaper there. Their love story blossomed, leading to the birth of my Mama, the fifth of my Nana’s six children. At the age of 17, my Mama discovered she was pregnant with me. My Tata, known for his stern nature, insisted that she take responsibility for her actions. In 1978, shortly after my birth, my Mama left my father and decided that it would be best to raise me on her own.

It was then that my Nana made the heartfelt decision to leave her job at the clothing factory to help raise me. I have always wondered why she chose to help my Mama with me and not any of her other children with theirs. While my Mama worked full-time, my Nana walked me to and from school, prepared fresh frijolitos daily, took me to the swap meet every Sunday to sell her handmade creations with her, taught me how to navigate the public bus system throughout Los Angeles, and instilled in me the importance of education and the ability to speak, read, and write in Spanish. Most importantly, my Nana taught me to rely on my faith during tough times, to love unconditionally and to be a kind.

Brigette, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

OgAmigaFashion was established during the pandemic, but my passion for secondhand fashion and flea markets (swap meets) began with my Nana, who I consider my first best friend. Every Sunday, we would take the public bus to the Starlight Swap Meet to sell her hand-sewn creations alongside other secondhand pieces sourced from her friend Cuca. Cuca would arrive with her car filled with large trash bags of infant and women’s clothing, which she resold on our neighbor’s porch for $0.25 to $0.50 per piece. I would make sure to pick out all of the infant clothing for my dolls and use my Nana’s fabric scraps to hand-sew pieces for my Barbies. The time spent with my Nana sifting through Cuca’s clothes, collecting outfits for my dolls, and learning to sew will forever remain cherished memories.

Whenever I saw Cuca’s car approaching, I would alert my Nana, and we would rush across the street to ensure we got the best pieces first. My Nana always selected pencil skirts and silk secretary blouses for my Mama, who would create outfits that made her look like a model who stepped out of a fashion magazine for as little as a $1.00. This experience taught me how to source quality secondhand items and ignited my passion for secondhand fashion. As I grew older, we would take the public bus to frequent several local thrift shops. For me, school shopping was always a treasure hunt, and I eagerly anticipated it each year. My Mama preferred that I keep the source of my clothes a secret, but I proudly shared it with anyone who asked. Secondhand fashion and reselling have become fundamental to who I am today.

During college, I worked two jobs to help cover expenses and resold many of my secondhand pieces on eBay. Following eBay, I expanded my reselling efforts to other platforms and even started selling LIVE on Instagram and Facebook. Although reselling secondhand fashion has been profitable for me, the primary reason I created OgAmigaFashion is my desire to help customers look and feel good on a budget. This mission keeps me inspired, allowing me to do what I love. OgAmigaFashion enables me to be my genuine self and every carefully curated collection put out is filled with pieces reminiscent of my Nana’s rose garden as well as my Summers spent in Ensenada, Baja California Mexico.

In December 2023, I took a leap of faith and accepted the offer to become a Goddess at the Goddess Mercado Boutique. The mission of the Goddess Mercado Boutique is to empower and uplift women through entrepreneurship and creative expression. By providing a platform for women artisans and entrepreneurs, the boutique fosters economic independence and celebrates cultural heritage. The Goddess Mercado Boutique aims to create a supportive community where women can thrive, connect, and inspire one another, all while offering unique, high-quality products that reflect the beauty and diversity of their creators. This year, as a Goddess, I have been able to help coordinate events that combine my love of service with my passion for fashion. After 20 years in the field of health and human services, intertwining my full-time job as a Social Work Supervisor with my creative passion at the Goddess Mercado Boutique has allowed me to dream bigger than I ever thought possible. The best is yet to come for OgAmigaFashion and the Goddess Mercado Boutique in 2025.

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

At the age of 40, my Mama was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer and, unfortunately, lost her battle at 45. At the time of her diagnosis, I was 23, and my younger sister was 13. Despite having begun living independently after graduating from college, I made the decision to move back home to help care for both my Mama and sister.

I was a full-time as a Social Worker by day and primary caregiver by night. Somewhere in between all of that, my Mama encouraged me to return to school for a master’s degree. Initially uncertain whether to pursue Social Work or Business, I chose an MBA program, guided by my Mama’s belief that it suited me best and my own ambition to eventually start a business or help run someone else’s. She unfortunately passed away in March 2006, and I received my MBA in September 2006 with my family and best friends by my side.

Reflecting on that period, I am still amazed at how I managed to balance these demanding roles without taking any personal time off. I worked as a Social Worker Monday through Friday, 9-5 PM, and attended classes 2-3 times per week from 6-10 PM for 2 of the 5 years that my Mama fought the battle of her life. My free time was dedicated to caring for my her and ensuring my sister graduated from high school. Being my Mama’s primary caregiver was the most challenging job I have ever undertaken, yet I would willingly do it all over again just to have more time with her.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

At the beginning of the pandemic, I was serving as the Director of Social Services at one of the largest skilled nursing facilities in Los Angeles, California. It was a challenging period for healthcare, as the facility’s census decreased dramatically due to the pandemic. Consequently, I was given the option to either work part-time or be laid off. Considering my responsibility to care for my 9-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter, I opted for the layoff.

After years of full-time employment as a Social Worker, I transitioned to being a full-time stay-at-home mother and teacher’s aide for my children. I embraced this change as a blessing in disguise, providing me with the invaluable opportunity to spend every day with my children and devote time to my own personal growth. For the first time in my adult life, I felt empowered to design my daily life according to the things that made me happy. Nature and thrift shopping have always brought me a sense of peace and nostalgia.

During this period, I realized that my personal closet was filled with clothes I hadn’t worn in a long time and probably wouldn’t wear anytime soon. I turned to Facebook, befriended the Administrator of a group called Vintage Boss Babes (VBB), and began hosting LIVE sales from my backyard under the name Brigette of OgAmigaFashion. I creatively transformed my backyard gazebo into a boutique of secondhand fashion, featuring modern and vintage floral pieces that were unique and captivating. I then became a regular on VBB, eventually traveling to New York to meet, learn from, and thrift with fellow resellers once it was safe to do so. I then moved my LIVE sales to another popular platform called Vintage Clothing and Accessories (VCA) where I continued to grow OgAmigaFashion.

I managed to turn a challenging situation into an opportunity to pursue my passion for buying and reselling secondhand fashion. This venture allowed me to fulfill my lifelong dream of becoming a business owner, a dream my Mama always believed I could achieve and one that my Nana inspired through our Sundays at the swap meet. This has lead me to become a part of a Goddesshood that has helped me regain my ability to “fly again”, something that I felt I had lost following my Mama’s passing. Sometimes in life, we lose ourselves in the process of caring for others. I was able to find my way back by turning my pain and grief into the drive to keep living, loving, and paying it forward.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: OgAmigaFashion and OgAmigaBrigette
• Facebook: OgAmigaFashion
• Other: TikTok: @ogamigafashionista

Image Credits

Image #1- Stacy Soriano
Image #4- Veronica Villa