The recently opened Labels Luxury Consignment trades at the high end. Photo: Elle Holland.

Who said Berkeleyans couldn’t be passionate about high fashion? Within three hours of opening its Elmwood store on July 31, Labels Luxury Consignment had found a customer for a $5,000 handbag.

The new Labels, on Ashby at College, is owned by Dan and Lynn Nice and is a sister store to the Walnut Creek flagship which has been in business for 13 years. The store deals in gently used high-end fashion accessories, selling handbags, belts and scarves from couture designers like Chanel, Gucci and Louis Vuitton. The store claims its prices are generally about a quarter of retail prices, and, despite the upscale atmosphere, the staff at Labels is down-to-earth and friendly.

And many of their pieces are sourced right here in Berkeley, says Labels sales assistant Cherie Corbin. “People come from the city [to sell their clothes], but the most recent pieces are from here in the Elmwood,” she says.

Some people may have doubts about whether Berkeley is the best place for high fashion, seeing how the preferred attire is often Birkenstocks and loose linens, but Corbin begs to differ: “Berkeley style is eclectic, everyone’s vision or interpretation of style is different,” she says.