Dare to be Unig: A Feature on Unig. Vintage
In bustling Mira Mesa, San Diego, lies a small store that welcomes you with minimalist design, a pop of color, and a taste of 2000s fashion. Unig.Vintage encourages individualism and uniqueness, embodying the edgy, Y2K feminine and it has become the heart of community building in the local area.
Unig. Vintage was founded by My Le, who was born and raised in Vietnam and later moved to Orange County, CA to pursue her studies. Growing up, she knew she wanted to open up her own fashion establishment, and she started her business journey in 2022 through Depop after experiencing American thrifting culture.
Le said that she “actually continued thrifting for my own personal closet throughout the years up until 2022, that’s when I decided to sell on Depop. I knew I wanted to sell vintage clothing because I would go thrifting all the time but I didn’t know where to start so I started out [there]…”
Unig. Vintage founder My Le
The Birth of Unig. Vintage
Unig Vintage was born from a love of fashion and community. “Unig” derives from the word “unique.” Le explains that the store highlights how each piece is distinct from one another, making it special in its own way. “It was just a silly thought, I just wanted to write the word unique in a different way, so yeah, there’s not a lot of meaning to it but I say it’s more something to do with the clothing and how each item is very unique.”
While Depop was a good resource, Le decided to broaden her retail in 2023 to markets such as Hotspot Flea (Now known as Figure 8). “I did an entire year of markets and I think it drained me a lot because I was doing it every weekend.”
Through her consistent participation in markets, she grew appreciation for the San Diego fashion scene, noticing the style of customers aligning with the pieces she personally enjoyed as well. Le also noticed the lack of curated vintage stores in San Diego and wanted to create a space for the community to go to on their own time. According to Le, she “ already saw there’s a need and people want to have a store to go to just on regular days – not where they have to go to a market, and follow the schedule of a market – that’s why I decided to open this space.”
Unig. Vintage had their grand opening in February of 2025.
The Unig. Style
The store caters towards a demographic that consumes the feminine,Y2K, aesthetic as seen through the pieces sold – from mini skirts, camisole tops, jewelry, handbags, etc. Le mentions that the style Unig. displayed was a representation of the evolution of aesthetics that personally intrigued her, because to her, “as the years go by, my style evolves, so the clothes that I sell also changed with me.
“In the beginning I started selling like more Parisian style– like beige and blazers and all that.” She explains that after further research Y2K sparked a sense of potential for her.
“I think Y2K clothing is very different, they’re very unique. Each piece is created very differently from one another, so I think that’s what drawed me into Y2K.”
Le talks about her process in curating which pieces to sell as she sources from Europe. He prefers the quality and style in comparison to American vintage. “I think the silhouettes are more unique, they’re a bit more experimental in the way they make the clothes, just based off what I’ve seen sourcing from Europe over the year.”
Making Unig. A Community Space
Having found the importance of shopping vintage, Le expresses her values in making sure her business upholds the eco-friendly aspect by selling secondhand pieces. “I just hope that more people will get into buying vintage, I know it’s a trend but it’s good, sustainable, and it's good for the environment.”
She also emphasizes the importance of keeping Unig. Vintage as an inviting space for women to shop. One that makes women feel included, seen, and safe in the fashion industry. She knows for sure that she will not have men’s items on the rack,“because I know there’s a lot of stores that do that already and I want to do it for the girls and the ladies. Make it a safe place to shop.”
When asked about the favorite part of her day, Le says that the highlights are the conversations and interactions with her customers. Her customers inspire her everyday, even trying her “best to take photos and videos of customers and keep them as inspiration. They really inspire me to dress up more too.” The store has also become a support system for the community and other small businesses as Le hosts Ikebana workshops with Jacqueline Vy Lan and cafe pop ups with Kaphe Muna. “It’s always fun to collab with other people and learn about their businesses ‘cause at the end of the day we share the same hardships and exchange our experience.”
When people turn up to these community events, Le shares how much she has love for the locals in the same way that they have shown Unig. a lot of love since the opening.
“I think, especially the San Diego community, it’s more tight knit and people are very supportive to small businesses and I think it’s important we uplift each other.”
With all the support and love Unig. Vintage gives, the store too receives reciprocated support from many San Diego locals and visitors, who have expressed their appreciation for the store’s ability to bring together their loved ones with comfort and social gathering along with the fashion they are able to explore through the various racks.
Unig. Vintage was built by a woman, for the women. A space that indulges in human connection and diverse fashion that encourages the art of being one of a kind, or dare I say Unig.
Come check it out for yourself, or bring along some friends to spread the love, at 9823 Mira Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92131. Unig. Vintage is open everyday except Tuesdays from 11AM - 7PM.
All images courtesy of Dyanne Shaira Dilayre