Thrift stores — they’re a hit or a miss. You’ll either find clothes that resemble the style of a second-grade boy, or you’ll find some super cool, super rare gem that completely elevates your closet. However, let’s be honest…you usually find the former rather than the latter. However, there may be a thrift store in the LA area that helps you always have the preferred experience, and it’s called Detoure!
Detoure is an “influencer-sourced” thrift store where all its products come from the closets of social media personalities. Most items are new with tags or only worn once, so the quality is always amazing and from your favorite brands. While there, Her Campus at UCLA saw products from Alo Yoga, Fabletics, Lulus, Zara, For Love and Lemons, Steve Madden and so much more. The prices are also very affordable, with items at price points such as $10, $20, $30 and $40. They even introduced $1 bins this past weekend. You’ll never know what you may find, and CEO Meghan Russell even disclosed to HC at UCLA that Detoure once received a pair of Gucci shoes!
Russell is the founder of Detoure and came up with the idea right in the middle of her fashion career, as she wanted to promote more sustainability in the industry:
“Before this, I was working in fashion, and through that, I got to talk to a lot of influencers, and also see how much influencers have to buy to keep up with trends. You know, it’s stuff they are wearing once on their social media, and they’re not really able to wear [it] again. And the more I talked to them, the more I realized, their closets were overflowing and they needed a solution. So, I started Detoure to fill the gap between allowing a follower or somebody who loves an influencer’s style to be able to buy directly from their closet, something secondhand, instead of having to buy [into] fast fashion. [When naming the shop,] I was thinking of a path away from fast fashion, so Detoure kind of just worked because it’s like ‘take the Detoure.’”
Detoure always has items available online, but once a month, they have a pop-up with a location one can only receive if they subscribe to the company’s notifications. The pop-up definitely had the best of the best, with not only trendy clothing but also accessories and shoes. There were tons of coveted cowgirl boots, which Russell says she and her team are always excited to receive!
The first items came into the company after Russell cold-emailed 100 influencers pitching them the idea. Multiple people responded and the company’s network has grown ever since, especially through word of mouth. It’s hard to not love the company’s concept, but also what they stand for: sustainable fashion.
Russell went to college for global and public health where she learned about human rights and sustainability in fashion. She explained her major didn’t exactly align with what she wanted to do, but she didn’t let that stop her. Her interest continued to grow after interning at sustainable fashion companies, and now she is able to add Detoure to that list, and people love it! We arrived 30 minutes before the pop-up, and the line of people waiting was already down the block. (Hint: when you go to a pop-up, definitely get there early, especially since Detoure TikToks tend to go viral).
Russell loves the people who come to shop at Detoure and appreciates their support: “Everyone who comes in is so fun and so nice, and a lot of them care about sustainability too, and it’s just so fun to see people be able to thrift their favorite items and feel good about their purchases.”
The shopping experience is definitely unique in that you have to shop efficiently. To ensure fairness and for safety reasons, everyone is given a time limit of about 20 minutes in the pop-up before they are asked to line up and check out with items.
HC at UCLA had a great time at the pop-up. Russell and the Detoure employees were so kind and helpful, both leading up to the event and during it. It is definitely worth the hype, as we were able to score a new with tags For Love and Lemons dress for $60, when it originally retailed for over $315. We also found a Lulu’s dress for over 40% off the original price.
Are you anxious to go experience Detoure for yourself? Get excited because their next pop-up is already next weekend on December 3rd. Visit their Instagram or TikTok for details!