We met with Laurynas Vaitkus, the owner of Green Globe Vintage, to discuss his journey in the world of street fashion and luxury vintage.

How did you start your journey in the street fashion industry and what inspired you to open Green Globe Vintage?

I think I started selling clothes around 10 years ago, but the whole journey started way before, probably when I was a kid. My mom used to take me to thrift stores all the time when I was young, she knew all the best spots, the day the new drop came out and she taught me alot about how to spot and know good quality fabrics from bad ones and even how to put on a fit and match my clothes. So now I realise she was one of the first and main inspirations for me and started my love for fashion.  

But that was the time when I started to love clothes for myself. Another moment I can remember that really switched something in me was in 2013 when I was studying at an international school in Bali and my friend from Australia showed me a vintage shop from Melbourne. That was the first time I saw that there could be a shop that's about vintage and not just used clothes you know. They had a bunch of vintage NBA starter jackets, old jerseys, crazy vintage NIKE pieces i've never seen before and that just did something to me. 

How do you think your childhood experiences continue to influence your fashion choices today?

I have quite a big collection of graphic tees that I really like but don't usually wear and most of them are from my childhood movies and cartoons. Love the graphics on 80s and 90s promo shirts. Also I have a soft spot for everything vintage basketball related, because I used to play for 8 years when I was a kid,  had NBA posters all over my walls and pretty much lived basketball all my childhood. I still keep up with what's going on just rarely find the time to play anymore.

Tell us about the concept of your store and why you chose it. 

I would say the concept has always been about the stuff that I genuinely like. That's how it was since the first days when I started thrifting. There was no tiktok and i didnt even have an instagram account. I would just go to thrift stores and buy the stuff that caught my eye. Back then it was not really about brands because I didn't know much about them. Nowadays I try to do the same thing just with more knowledge about all the brands, their history and principles. 

How has your store's concept evolved over time since you first started? Have your tastes or the market influenced any changes?

Well now we have almost half of the store dedicated to sneakers. That's probably the biggest change since the opening. Glad I met Tadas (HypedFlea) sometime last year who we struck a friendship with and now work together. I can officially say that we are also a sneaker shop. I've had a love for  sneakers since I was a kid but always struggled to find something more interesting here in Lithuania, so I'm excited that we can provide some pairs that you won't find anywhere else. 

What is the most unexpected piece or brand you've come across that ended up being a hit with your customers?

I can't remember any brand in particular but this happens every week. Oftentimes the things i'm most excited for not a lot of people care about and the things I post because I think I have nothing to post sell instantly and get the most feedback hah. 

How do you assess the current situation and level of development of street fashion in Vilnius?

It's gotten way better since I started, but I feel like we're still way behind in terms of what's available for people here. Wish we had more streetwear/sneaker stores and really wish there was a more versatile thrifting scene with smaller second hand stores that focus on vintage. 

How do you stay informed about emerging trends in street fashion, both globally and locally?

I would like to have a more interesting answer for this, but I just scroll through instagram usually. I think it's a pretty good tool if you set up your feed right. Also youtube, there’s plenty of vintage, streetwear or sneaker content creators who I've learned alot from.

Are there any emerging Lithuanian designers or brands that you think are poised to make a big impact on the street fashion scene?

Not really street fashion but Urtekat has been killing it for a while now, also looking forward to seeing what Vilte Savickaite will release in the future . More on the streetwear side my friend IHGNAHZ is getting back to doing his thing which i'm really happy for. I also like some of the stuff that Puga73 is doing

What street fashion styles are most popular among Lithuanians? 

I feel like there's a lot of influence from skate culture at the moment. Skate style is really popular right now in streetwear and in vintage. Prices of 90s and early 2000s skate brands like BLIND, HOOK-UPS, WORLD INDUSTRIES have skyrocketed in the past couple of years. Also there's definitely been a shift from 90s style to y2k in the general public.

Are there any particular markets or countries where you've found unique or unexpected vintage treasures?

Yeah, now I buy quite a lot of stuff from South East Asia. There's tons of vintage stuff and also streetwear you won't find anywhere else like Asian market exclusive pieces. It's just really not that easy to find suppliers there, because many other big shops in The States , Europe and Australia buy stuff from there also and usually want their suppliers to work directly and solely with them. 

What brands and items do your customers most frequently look for and purchase?

So with brands there's the common ones like Stussy and supreme which are really popular everywhere right now, Stone Island and C.P. Company are also big ones, people ask for Evisu jeans all the time. Nowadays it's also Ed Hardy, Von Dutch and other y2k brands.

What are the main challenges you face in developing your store?

Had a bunch of challenges when I was opening a store, mainly because when I rented the place it was miles away from what I wanted it to look like. The place used to be a pretty sketchy bar in the 90s and early 2000s and barely anything was changed since then. I think we spent around 6-7 months just to make it look somewhat decent and I'm super grateful for my friends and my brother who really helped out, because we did everything ourselves. Another big challenge that I still have to deal with is sourcing stuff. 5 years ago I used to buy a lot of crazy stuff here in Lithuania, in thrift stores and small town markets. Nowadays it's gotten way harder to find decent stuff so I had to look for suppliers abroad which wasn't that easy.

Where do you see Green Globe Vintage in the next five years? Are there any plans for expansion or new initiatives?

Yeah, there's definitely plans. I would like to move to a bigger space in Vilnius some time and if everything works out hopefully open up a shop in Spain in a couple of years.