Milda Mitkute, founder of Vinted: "I believe in 'less is more', I don't need so many clothes anymore"

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One of the biggest business ideas in recent years,

, was born at a party.

then a 21-year-old student studying Cultural Management and planning to pursue music or dance, decided to move from her hometown of Kaunas to

, the capital of Lithuania, and with the move in sight she realized realized that she had too many clothes in her closet.

So she thought of starting to sell it.

"I shared the idea with

[Janauskas, whom I almost just met that night] and we started testing various possibilities of a platform where our family and friends could sell and

clothes, to provide a practical solution to a common problem and everyday," he recalls.

That idea that they were passionate about is today the largest international platform in Europe for the sale of

fashion between individuals, with a

that has more than 50 million members - and a profile mainly of women between 18 and 45 years old. - in 16 countries in

and

"But it started as a personal project, intended for me and a close network of friends. Even

in our country was unthinkable. For both of us it was a hobby that allowed us to experiment with things outside of our jobs, without making any money from it." , he assures.

However, his platform caught the interest of the people and the media in

.

"It grew instantly and attracted investors, which led us to expand to other countries. For the first three years,

remained a small company. We barely earned anything, we did everything ourselves, from developing features to first

initiatives

", he confesses.

But then, with the

, everything changed very quickly.

"We got excited about making this a big project and a more global mission," he explains.

Even today

is surprised by that success.

"It's a constant

of having gone from zero to one hundred.

was my 'first child', and I'm excited to see how it's evolving. It may sound strange, but at first my friends didn't show much interest. I remember it was just Justas and me. super happy. The rest said it was a short

and it would be over soon. Even my grandmother kept asking me when I'd find a 'normal' job. Now she's starting to feel

, but it took 13 years!"

When they decided to professionalize the business, they started in

, thanks to

their first investor and whom Milda calls her 'business angel'.

"The success convinced us that our idea was very much in line with the spirit of that time, we realized that the second-hand market had a real

; a garment should not be worn for just one season, but should be consumed more

. People are looking for nice pieces at

decent

The 'Milda of Vinted'

But that takeoff did not make them grow as

experts , they were still two students managing a

.

"To be honest, it wasn't always

. I was young, I didn't have any experience and no idea how to run my own business. Also, I have to stress that

didn't come overnight, and there were some that weren't so pretty: It takes a lot of

input

to bring it to fruition. I had to work hard and

up a lot of things, it's what you had to do to get a global business off the ground," he acknowledges.

After dedicating many years to

("When I do something, I always try to dedicate myself completely to it"), Milda chose to take a radical

and focus entirely on her family and her personal projects.

He is currently a shareholder and is in "close contact with the team" but is not involved in business

.

"It wasn't an easy

to make; Vinted will always be my first baby, it will stay that way in my

. For a long time I was so into work that I had no personal life. It took me some time to realize that I don't

being alone." Milda de Vinted'. I felt that I was and am much more. So I started working on the search for the

between work and

, doing a lot of experiments and exercises.

And I finally managed to find it."

But who is Milda Matkute ​​beyond the co-founder of Vinted?

A woman who always wanted to start a

and who has never stopped thinking.

“I consider myself a

, open-minded, easy-going person. And a

for life!” she tells us.

"To be honest, it's very difficult to explain myself in one sentence. I was always afraid of being just a mother, just a businesswoman, just a daughter... I see life as an

to explore many different

and roles. I feel like I'm a bit of everything. At this stage of my life I am a

of four children and a bit of a

. I am also a great

of books (among the last fiction she has read, 'For Whom the Bell Tolls', by Ernest Hemingway, and 'Animal Farm', by George Orwell), investor, a bit of an influencer, mentor and advisor".

For this reason, although she feels happy and

of what Vinted is today and of what she and Justas have achieved, her life has

a lot.

"I am very grateful to be able to watch my four children

up and explore the world together with them. Right now I dedicate 60% of my time to them, and since I am not in an active

I can afford to leave the rest of the

for myself" , point.

Some plans that go through the key issues for her,

issues , climate change, artificial intelligence and

.

"That is, what will the world be like in 20 years, when my children grow up. If one day they ask me: 'Mom, what have you done to improve the situation of our Earth?'

I want to have an

. I have started studying again, working on several masters and exploring the connection between

and our society. I feel like I have a lot of homework to do to see where I am going."

Are businesses like Vinted the future when it comes to sustainable fashion and the circular economy?

The second-hand trend is part of a general movement towards more responsible consumption, we cannot deny that society has changed.

The environment, global warming, climate change... We can no longer ignore these issues.

If you buy everything new and binge on fast fashion, you know you are contributing to the destruction of the Earth.

In that sense, we have become more aware.

The younger generations are more aware and their concern for the environment is helping to draw attention to possible solutions.

From this perspective, the second hand can be part of the solution to the challenges facing the fashion industry in terms of impact on the climate,

although not the only one. Do you now have a perfectly tidy wardrobe?

What would we find if we opened it? It is my personal wish, but in reality it is far from that, although over the years I have become much more organized.

I don't need as many clothes anymore and I believe that "less is more".

Quality is more important than quantity.

All this helps me to have fewer things and the fewer clothes, the more I take care of each one and the easier it is to have everything in order.

So one day I will have a perfectly organized closet.

As a fashion lover, what is the item that cannot be missing from your wardrobe? Black leggings and oversized black t-shirts.

Even though I try to add more colors now, I'm getting bored of using black all the time!

And your fetish garment? The large and comfortable sweaters, fluffy and colorful.

Are you still using Vinted to sell what you no longer want and renew yourself?

Of course.

When Vinted was founded, I used to shop at thrift stores, but I didn't really like them: they were small, had limited supply, and sometimes it was hard to find a size.

However, the second hand has changed a lot, and my consumption habits too.

First of all, when I buy something I ask myself if I really need it and how many times I will wear it.

Nowadays, opting for the second hand as a first option has become a very natural habit for me.

And knowing that I will have to find a future owner for what I buy has helped me be even more responsible.

What do you buy the most on Vinted? Items for my children.

They grow up so fast and get bored so easily if they read a book or play a puzzle a couple of times that I always try to find something new to keep them entertained.

It is a good practice to develop the sense of ecological responsibility in children.

Children learn to share and parents educate them from the beginning to value the long life that things can have.

And what do you recommend your friends buy? My first recommendation is to think about whether you need something "new" (first-hand but also second-hand!) in your wardrobe.

Think about how many times you are going to wear it, if it fits with your style and combines with other pieces... After all, Vinted was born to cover a personal need: having too many clothes in my closet.

If you know what you need

Vinted's catalog is great if your needs change over time.

With four kids, my body has changed a lot over the last five years, a constant cycle of bigger and smaller sizes, and it's great to replace and resell items.

Do you know fashion made in Spain?

Yes, one of my favorite brands is Camper.

I love it, I appreciate how beautiful and durable your products are.

Milda, the woman who thought and created an

with the sole intention of

considers that she has not yet fulfilled her family project.

"In a few years I see myself as a mother of five children. And after such an active

I would like to focus on global initiatives on how to improve our world", she anticipates.

"I still have many other plans that I'm currently working on, let's see what the

holds !"

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