Remi Chauveau Notes
Vinted’s rise from a small Vilnius swapping site to Europe’s leading resale platform shows how a simple Lithuanian tradition of reuse evolved into a profitable, continent‑shaping force for circular fashion.
Technology 🚀

🇱🇹♻️ How a Lithuanian Resale Startup Took Over Europe: The Vinted Effect 👚

21 November 2025
@maxklymenko How VINTED is beating Amazon and eBay 🤯 feat. the co-founder Milda 🇱🇹 #careers #jobs #careeradvice #business #vinted #entrepreneurship ♬ original sound - Max Klymenko

🌫️ The Warmth of “Pasilik” in a Circular World

Gabrielius Vagelis’ “Pasilik” — a song about holding on to warmth, connection, and the small worlds we build with those we trust — echoes the emotional core of Lithuania’s Vinted story. The platform’s rise across Europe is more than a business success; it’s a shared commitment to what matters: sustainability, community, and the quiet intimacy of giving objects a second life. Just as “Pasilik” asks someone to stay, Vinted invites millions to stay mindful, stay circular, and stay connected through the rhythm of reuse — a national instinct that has grown into a continental movement.

🎶 👚♻️🧵📦🌍💚🔄👜✨🇱🇹📱🌱 🔊 Pasilik - Gabrielius Vagelis



Lithuania’s most unexpected global success story didn’t come from fintech or biotech, but from a simple idea born in a Vilnius apartment: give clothes a second life.

In less than two decades, Vinted has grown from a local swapping site into Europe’s resale powerhouse, reshaping how millions think about fashion, value, and sustainability.

🌱 From a Local Idea to a Continental Movement

When Milda Mitkute and Justas Janauskas launched Vinted in Vilnius in 2008, their goal was simple: help Lithuanian women exchange clothes they no longer wore. What began as a small community project quickly revealed continental potential. As the platform expanded to Germany and the United States, it tapped into a growing appetite for digital simplicity and affordable fashion. Within a decade, Vinted had become one of Europe’s most influential resale platforms — a Lithuanian app that made second‑hand go mainstream — blending community spirit with Silicon‑Valley‑style scalability.

🚀 The Strategic Pivot That Sparked Hypergrowth

Vinted’s breakthrough came in 2016 when Insight Partners appointed Thomas Plantenga as CEO. He restructured the company, shut down costly offices, and made a bold move: eliminating seller fees entirely. Combined with an interface inspired by social networks, this strategy triggered explosive adoption. By 2019, users were exchanging 2.2 items every second, and France emerged as Vinted’s largest market. The platform’s growth has since accelerated — culminating in a 330% jump in net profits to €76.7 million in 2024, making Vinted a rare profitable outlier in the resale industry.

đź‘— Riding the Wave of Conscious Consumption

Vinted’s rise coincided with a cultural shift toward more mindful consumption. As concerns about fast fashion grew, the platform positioned itself as a champion of “better choices.” Its message — second‑hand is good for your wallet and the planet — resonated strongly with younger Europeans aged 15–35. Bright, friendly marketing and a frictionless user experience helped transform resale from a niche habit into a mainstream reflex. With the launch of Vinted Pay, the company is now tightening its ecosystem, aiming to make transactions faster, safer, and more integrated.

🌍 A Green Promise With Shades of Grey

Despite its eco‑friendly narrative, Vinted’s environmental impact remains complex. While the platform undeniably extends the life of garments, its convenience can also encourage overconsumption disguised as sustainability. Low prices and constant novelty tempt users to buy more than they need. Cross‑border shipping and packaging add to the carbon footprint, complicating the platform’s green messaging. Vinted makes second‑hand stylish and accessible — but it doesn’t automatically guarantee more sustainable behaviour.

🔄 A Platform Reshaping Europe’s Fashion Economy

What began as a small Lithuanian experiment has become a continental force. Vinted has democratized resale, empowered millions of casual sellers, and challenged traditional retail models. With profitability achieved and Vinted Pay rolling out, the company is entering a new phase — one focused on financial control, ecosystem expansion, and long‑term stability. Whether it ultimately drives deeper ecological change depends on how its users choose to engage. But one thing is clear: Vinted has redefined how Europe buys, sells, and values its clothes.

#VintedEffect 🌍 #CircularFashion 🔄 #LithuaniaCreates 🇱🇹 #SecondLifeStyle ♻️ #MindfulWardrobe 👚

Tradition‑Powered Tech Revolution

The Baltic Habit That Became a European Business Model
What almost no one notices is that Vinted’s success isn’t only about tech, timing, or sustainability trends. It’s rooted in a deep Lithuanian cultural habit: a long tradition of exchange, reuse, and community thrift that predates the app by generations. In Lithuania, passing clothes between siblings, cousins, and neighbours wasn’t a trend — it was a norm. Vinted didn’t invent circular fashion; it digitised a national behaviour and exported it to Europe at scale. Vinted is not just a startup — it’s Lithuania’s everyday culture turned into a continental business model.

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