Itk: what lifestyle, creativity and trainers have in common

Why itk? How was the name born?

Itk is an acronym for in the know. To be “in the know”, to be immersed, knowledgeable, to have information, to be in the loop about something that not many people know about. 

Let’s be honest, the itk shop is not for everyone. To reach it, to ruminate about it, to make a purchase, to become a regular customer, you need to have a certain level of immersion in the world of modern clothing and everything related to it. It’s important to have a real interest. 

It is this message of living interest and vitality that is embedded in our name. When someone sees the letters itk for the first time, they immediately ask themselves, “What’s that?” That’s when our dialogue begins. 

Sure, some will be intrigued, but some will just pass by. Itk is a very lively and human project, which is why you get to know it exactly the same way as you’d do with people in real life.

Itk has a very clear positioning, its own voice, a recognisable style. Who were you inspired by in your approach to business?

First of all, thank you for the kind words. itk is an organic and logical continuation of the lifestyle and thoughts of its founders. Yes, of course, we continuously observe our colleagues around the world and exchange ideas, but what our experience tells us is that each project is absolutely unique. Some moves or techniques that work perfectly well in one territory may be completely ineffective in another. Therefore, all our actions are dictated solely by our own expertise, gained over the years. 

For example, we once had a meeting with the guys from Berlin’s Voo Store. We shared thoughts with each other and suddenly discovered that we have the same questions and business situations. But we solve them in completely different ways. That’s an interesting nuance.

Besides, right now there is a very clear trend towards localisation in the world of fashion. Personally, we are very pleased about this. Today it’s important to look for a personalised approach that will not only reflect the mood of the project, but will also be understood by people.

You’ve been on the market since 2015. What is itk most proud of?

Perhaps our greatest achievement during this time is the very fact that our store still exists.

Seriously, we had a lot of meetings with all sorts of people during the idea formation stage. Today we would call them “leaders of opinion”. And you know what? There isn’t a single person who didn’t try to dissuade us from the idea of opening such a shop in Riga. 

Looking back, we are proud to be the first who introduced many relevant brands in the Baltic States.

Regarding brand selection: who do you accept and who do you reject?

We aim to create a balanced mix of relevant yet affordable clothing and footwear. To create the same offer here as if it were a metropolis. To provide a sensible alternative for those people who don’t want to dress mass-market or go to the malls. 

Right now, we are more and more focused on local brands – for example, Racer Worldwide from Tallinn – and young brands that have emerged recently but have already firmly established themselves.

Now seems a good time to share a secret: which are your favourite brands at itk?

We could talk about brands for ages. 

To begin with, itk is a key partner in the Baltics for a number of brands. For example, we are one of the few shops worldwide where the legendary Californian brand Stüssy still remains.

For New Balance, we are high-priority partners, that is, we get access to the best and most desired products. Only a few dozen shops around the world can claim such a status.

In the list of brands with which we cooperate, there is 032c from Berlin and Misbhv from Warsaw – they exist at the intersection of streetwear and luxury. Keep an eye on them – they have the attention of all the world’s leading media and “class A” celebrities right now.

Salomon trainers are one of the latest additions to our collection. Whether in Berlin, Milan, Amsterdam, Stockholm or London, they are simply adored. We are glad that we managed to add Riga and Vilnius to the list.

When it comes to our personal favourites, we are particularly fond of brands that have grown and developed with us from the very beginning. Among them, for example, is the Parisian brand Drôle de Monsieur with its famous slogan “Not From Paris Madame”. 

We also love Indonesian Devá States, which is topping all sorts of “young brands that deserve attention” rankings right now.

And we even ran an exclusive interview with Amsterdam-based skate community Pop Trading Company, whose products are featured in some of the world’s best venues including Mr.Porter and Dover Street Market. 

We were one of the first shops in the world to introduce Polar Skate Co. which is now a recognised bestseller. We can also name Wasted Paris, Heaven Can Wait, Unknown London, which right now are creating a real fashion revolution in their respective regions.

Other than those, there are brands that are backed by our long-time friends. Norse Projects and Dancer from Copenhagen have been cherished collaborators since their inception, forging a genuine friendship between us over the years.

Personal favourites for this season include Heresy, another Londoner in our selection, who has turned his fascination with British history and folklore into a clothing brand. To our taste, a fascinating and unusual combination.



Of course, our search does not stop here – we’ve already prepared some pleasant surprises for the SS’24 season.

You are represented not just in Riga, and not even in Latvia alone. I wonder, how does the mentality of your client here differ from the mentality of a client in, say, Vilnius, Tallinn, Paris?

These days, it is essential to realise that customers in Riga and New York want the same. Both in terms of goods, experience, emotions from the purchase, and in terms of service.

Our main observations: Vilnius residents are more active and emotional, sometimes even impulsive, in purchasing compared to Riga. In Latvia consumption is more measured and planned. Conscious, if I may say so. And also, for example, in Lithuania more interest is aroused by brands from the UK, while in Latvia – by brands from Scandinavia as well as local brands and production. Also Lithuania is much more active in terms of online shopping.

Today, brand sentiment and values are largely communicated through content. Your content deserves special attention. What is the secret?

We’re often told that we have great content on our website, blog and social media. But there’s no secret – we’re just really passionate and live for our work. 

Frankly, we’ve never thought of what we do as a job. It is a sincere hobby, which over the years has transformed into a profession and a permanent mode of activity. This is where ideas are born. We are inspired by the products, life and people around us, so often the heroes of our shoots or joint projects are real city characters or customers of our shop. It’s important for us to stay honest about ourselves and the people who inhabit our world.

On the topic of content: do you plan to return to YouTube? We’re eager to see you there again.

Yes, there has been such a desire – we’re considering it. We want to go beyond just  news about the shop and cover a wider range of topics to make this platform a little more understandable and appealing for a wider audience. Let’s wait and see what unfolds from this.

In any case, revisit the most recent entry that went out on the itk channel.

Lastly: what’s next? What are your plans?

Frankly, it’s almost impossible to create any kind of realistic plan with so many variable inputs that are out there today. At a minimum, the entire industry is still reinventing itself after the pandemic. 

Let’s suppose we’re about to get a third itk shop in a new city in the near future.

And a more concrete announcement of an event we’re tinkering with: on December 2nd we’re organising a Pop-Up Store at the itk shop in Vilnius together with the people from Unknown London. A whole day of music and live communication with the founders of the brand as well as exclusive products, followed by a night programme in one of the top clubs in Vilnius. Don’t forget to subscribe to avoid missing out on important announcements.

As we say: Stay tuned! Stay in the know!