This post was updated July 14 at 7:46 p.m.
UCLA students hoping to shop sustainably will soon be able to look no further than Westwood Village.
2nd Street is a Japan-based consignment store that offers second-hand luxury, vintage and streetwear clothing, according to its website. While the store has not announced an official Westwood opening date, the location is likely to open its doors to the public before the end of July, said Michael Russell, executive director of the Westwood Village Improvement Association.
Customers receive cash or store credit for selling their used clothes to 2nd Street, which the store then resells, said Miles Garofola-Lam, the internal social director of Refine LA, a sustainable fashion club at UCLA.
“They have a lot of different brands, ranging from really niche internet brands that people may not know to Instagram brands to designer,” said Garofola-Lam, a rising fourth-year cognitive science student. “You can find really unique pieces.”
2nd Street currently has 37 locations in the United States. Since expanding internationally, the company has sought to combat the 15 million tons of clothing that end up in U.S. landfills annually, according to its website.
Garofola-Lam said he was excited to see a consignment store open near UCLA, as it may incentivize students to turn away from stores in Westwood that he said utilize “fast fashion” practices, including Brandy Melville and Urban Outfitters.
Fast fashion companies produce clothing as quickly as possible with cheap fibers that can take centuries to decompose, which erodes the environment. According to a March 2023 report by the United Nations Environment Programme, customers bought 60% more clothes since 2000 but only wore them for half as long – a process which promotes the overproduction of clothing and leads to the creation of more waste.
“It’s just an endless cycle of more and more waste, which is really bad for the environment,” Garofola-Lam said. “It’s important to pick more circular and regenerative fashion choices.”
Mindy Luo, the president of Refine LA, said consignment stores like 2nd Street are the most environmentally friendly places to shop – even more than “sustainable” brands that sell new clothing.
“They’re (sustainable brands) still technically producing output,” said Luo, a rising fourth-year art history and cognitive science student. “Secondhand is the best option because it doesn’t require any new clothes to be produced.”
Luo added that 2nd Street could serve as a gateway into shopping secondhand for those who have never done so before, as the establishment offers high-quality clothing.
However, while opening 2nd Street is a step toward sustainability in Westwood, Luo said the neighborhood needs more consignment store options. She added that the store’s high-end clothing is financially inaccessible to some students and also makes it difficult for students to consign their own items of lesser value.
“I’m actually shocked that there aren’t more thrift stores in Westwood because I feel like there’s such a big community at UCLA who do love secondhand clothing,” she said. “If there are more thrift stores that are going to open up in Westwood in the future, it’d be great to see more accessible options.”
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Russell said 2nd Street’s commitment to sustainability makes it a beneficial addition to Westwood. The Westwood Village Improvement Association tries to further promote sustainability in the area through advocating for climate-friendly modes of transportation, including bicycle lane infrastructure and public transit, he added.
Luo said she is excited to see another thrift store open in the Westwood area, adding that she anticipates 2nd Street will be immediately popular among UCLA students.
“I’m really excited to see also students’ responses to opening up,” she said. “I’m hoping it also can serve as a place where our community can get together and meet up.”
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