March 15, 2026, 5:01 a.m. MT
As a little girl growing up in Tucson, Amy Mendoza remembers thrifting with her mom, but it wasn’t out of preference — it was a necessity.
Mendoza began upcycling her clothing from a young age without even realizing the talents she had discovered.
“I would upcycle without knowing I was upcycling, and then I got older, and I started sewing, and people were like ‘oh, that’s upcycled,’ and I’m like, ‘oh well, I’ve done this my whole life,'” Mendoza said.
These talents Mendoza garnered as a little girl were planting the seed for her clothing brand AVRA.
“A lot of my creativity comes from scarcity, which is really beautiful, like I try to use whatever I already have,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza’s brand revolves around her love for two things: thrifting and her culture. Almost all of Mendoza’s pieces are made from upcycled materials she selected herself.
The Creation of AVRA
In 2021, Mendoza began her first official experiments that would become AVRA.
First, she tried hand-sewing a scrunchie. Excited with her creation, Mendoza borrowed her sister’s sewing machine to harness her skill. It was on that machine five years ago in her college apartment that AVRA was born.
Mendoza originally went to ASU to study psychology, but her desire to create clothing pushed her toward a degree in fashion and marketing instead.
First, when Mendoza started her brand, it didn’t have a name. Unable to think of something, she gave up. Randomly, Mendoza received a book on spirituality, but it wasn’t until she was cleaning her room and flipped to a page in the book that read abracadabra, that inspiration struck.
Abracadabra, which translates to avra k’davra, is an Aramaic phrase meaning “I create as I speak”.
“I couldn’t think of a name because I couldn’t think of niche, where I actually fit, I couldn’t think of one thing that explained everything I wanted to do,” Mendoza explained that avra k’davra, which she shortened to AVRA, perfectly encompassed her brand.
Creating conscientiously while reflecting her roots
Mendoza has always been conscious of creating with purpose, as upcycling and thrifting have been the main inspiration behind her clothing design from the beginning.
“Just because it’s cheaper doesn’t mean you should buy more of it. You know, like, buy what you know you will make and try to, you know, lessen your consumption as a whole,” Mendoza explained, “So I tend to have more one-of-one pieces, but I enjoy just giving something a second life that people wouldn’t see.”
Mendonza partners her creativity with cultural emblems that represent her Mexican-American roots. Many of her clothing pieces display the Virgin Mary, the mother of Christ, an iconic character in Catholicism, who has deep ties with Hispanic culture. The Virgin Mary is a consistent theme in most of Mendoza’s pieces because of her personal connection to the religious character.
The Virgin Mary reminds Mendoza of her grandmother and going to church with her on Sundays. After her grandmother passed, Mendoza’s mother saw the Virgin Mary as a maternal symbol of her own mother, whom she was able to carry with her always.
“I think it’s so beautiful to see her (the Virgin Mary) in my clothing, especially now that I’m going to bigger events or being invited to different spaces that I wouldn’t normally be in. It makes me feel at ease to see her with me,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza represents her Hispanic culture proudly, implementing gold crosses and jewelry and colors that coordinate with Mexico’s flag.
In her most recent clothing release, Mendonza created a T-shirt with the words “Solo el pueblo salva el pueblo,” which translates to “only the village saves the village.”
“That’s what we’re trying to do right now,” Mendoza said, regarding the T-shirt.
‘Con mucho amor’
Mendoza recently celebrated AVRA’s fifth anniversary with a special event where she launched a new clothing collection. The event also featured a pay-what-you-can braiding station. All of the proceeds collected from the braiding went to families affected by ICE.
The braids, often paired with colorful ribbon, are associated with traditional Mexican dress and femininity. Now they also serve as a political statement against resistance, showcasing the appreciation of one’s Hispanic culture.
“I love that I can be an activist through fashion. At the end of the day, fashion isn’t enough for me. I love moving in purpose. And I love that this makes me feel more purposeful,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza’s clothes are also getting more attention. She is a vendor at Amor Collective, a Latina-owned business that brings together Latinx creators to sell their products and share culture. During Hispanic Heritage Month in September, Mendoza’s clothes were featured in a Phoenix Suns “El Valle” video. In the same month, AVRA was featured in a New York Fashion Week runway show, making it Mendoza’s first-ever fashion show.
She said she hopes the clothes give people confidence when they go out into the world.
“I’m just spreading love, con mucho amor,” Mendoza explained, “Every piece they wear, you put it on, and you feel safe when you feel confident, and you’ll feel like you belong in every space.”