This past week, we had two photoshoots with two very different aesthetics, rooted in one worldview. On Tuesday, we shot the collection that marks our return to menswear. This was a long time coming and understandably got the team excited. It felt like viewing apparel through a new lens after spending the last year immersed in performance gear. Refreshing to step out of that world and into the softer side of menswear. Both shoots, as different as they were, came from the same place. Same intention. Same way of seeing things.

I view Minted as a philosophy… a way of living rooted in continuous improvement. Life is a work in progress, and progress itself is the point. But progress toward what? That’s where these archetypes come in.

Today's culture celebrates multidimensional lives and the intersection of creativity and discipline. You know these people, and chances are you are one. Building something during the day (or night), training for something in the evening (or morning), always working on a creative project that may grow into something lasting, or may remain a fleeting experiment.

Two archetypes: the Athlete and the Artist. Two roles that shape how we move and create in the modern world.

Athlete: Quiet repetitions —> a commitment to do the work, day after day, regardless of circumstance.

In training, you spend most days toiling under the pretense that you’re making progress. Months pass before any discernible uptick in fitness. Repetition after repetition, with no immediate gratification to hold onto. But you show up anyway.

There’s something about this that goes beyond fitness. It’s a way of thinking—stacking small things consistently until they eventually become something much bigger. Most days feel unremarkable. Most sessions feel like nothing. But you show up because you trust that it’s all adding up, even when you can’t see it.

Artist: Ideas into form —> transforming raw input into something that carries meaning.

Artists tend to live in uncertainty, and often the best work comes from that strange intersection of discipline and intuition, mixed with the act of showing up to create even without inspiration.

There is great nuance in what works and what doesn’t, why some things last and others fade. Sometimes the answer is simple; sometimes it’s more complex. But the answer is always intentional. A commitment to care when it would be easier not to. To trust in seemingly small, insignificant details. A willingness to make things that age well because you believe they’ll matter long after you’re done making them.

The runner who also paints. The climber who writes. The cyclist who makes music. They don’t treat these as separate hobbies, they see them as parts of the same thing. The same commitment to showing up. The same patience with process. The same willingness to fail and try again.

Training teaches you that most progress happens when you’re not looking for it. Art teaches you the same. Both require you to trust something you can’t see yet.

Maybe that’s why they go together. Both are about faith in repetition. Both are about getting comfortable with not knowing if what you’re doing today will matter tomorrow… but doing it anyway.

- Marcus

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Why 40g of Carbs (160 Calories) Per Gel?

Most traditional endurance gels offer only 20-25g of carbs (80-100 calories). However, if you're training or racing for longer than an hour, your energy demands significantly increase (and therefore so do your fueling requirements). To sustain performance and prevent glycogen depletion, a consistent intake of carbohydrates is important.

Effective Carb Intake During Endurance:

• 30–60g/hour for efforts 1–2 hours

• 60–90g/hour for efforts 2+ hours

• Up to 120g/hour for highly trained athletes with gut adaptation

Our Solution: The Minted Stride Gel

Each Minted Stride Gel provides:

• 40g carbohydrates in a single serving

• 160 calories of efficient, easily absorbable energy

• Viscous liquid delivery (not a thick jelly)

  • the team didn’t want to be struggling to get down a thick jelly at mile 20 of a marathon

Why it matters:

• Fewer gels per hour: This means less volume to carry and easier fueling on the go.

• Hits optimal carb targets: Helps you meet recommended carbohydrate intake for sustained efforts.

• Minimizes GI distress: Reduces gastrointestinal discomfort often associated with consuming multiple smaller gels.

The Power of Dual-Source Carbs: Maltodextrin + Fructose

Your gut utilizes two different transporters to absorb carbohydrates:

• SGLT1 for glucose (from maltodextrin)

• GLUT5 for fructose

By using a dual-carb blend of maltodextrin and fructose, Minted Stride Gels enable greater total carbohydrate absorption and reduce digestive stress compared to single-source carb gels. This means more fuel reaches your muscles faster, with less stomach upset.

Our Gels are Available in Three Options:

• Unflavored - Caffeinated (50mg): Proven to improve endurance by 2-4% without the jitters.

• Unflavored - Non Caffeinated: The same effective fuel, just without stimulants.

• Mixed Berry - Non-Caffeinated: Product testers compared this refreshing flavor to an ice pop.

Too Long;Didn't Read (TL;DR): Minted Stride Gels are specifically designed for endurance athletes. They pack 40 grams of carbs (160 calories) per serving, significantly more than most regular gels. Our unique blend of maltodextrin and fructose ensures your body can absorb more carbohydrates without upsetting your stomach. This allows you to maintain steady energy levels, carry fewer gels, and fuel longer, more effective efforts.

The gels will release this Wednesday (July 9th) at 11am EST.

-Marcus

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Sources:

1. Nutrition and Supplement Update for the Endurance Athlete: Review and Recommendations - PMC

2. Impact of Post-Exercise Fructose-Maltodextrin Ingestion on Subsequent Endurance Performance - PMC.

3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3975841

4. Nutrition and Supplement Update for the Endurance Athlete: Review and Recommendations - PMC

5. The Effect of Acute Caffeine Ingestion on Endurance Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - PubMed

Last weekend, I had a wedding to attend in Washington, DC, and on the drive down, I decided to put my next book (after finally finishing Addiction by Design) on audio and listened to a good two-thirds of it. Yesterday, I finished it in the park.

I then picked up Alex Karp's book expecting a Silicon Valley memoir (which I don’t even mind). What I got instead was something closer to a philosophical manifesto wrapped in the frustrations of someone who's spent twenty years watching brilliant people "waste" (his framing, not mine) their potential on "trivial" problems.

Karp runs Palantir, the company that builds software for intelligence agencies and military operations—not exactly the typical Silicon Valley darling. Which is probably why his critique of tech culture hits so hard.

The book's central argument is uncomfortable: while there are still brilliant engineers tackling genuinely hard problems, Karp believes that too much of our top talent has been pulled toward optimizing engagement and consumption rather than solving more fundamental challenges. The incentives have shifted from building technologies that change the world to building apps that capture attention.

The Status Game Problem

One thing that struck me about Karp's analysis is how much of Silicon Valley's culture comes down to what problems are considered prestigious to work on. He points to the 2018 Google employee pushback against a Pentagon contract as an example of how certain types of work have become culturally discouraged.

His observation is that there's a disconnect between the problems that get celebrated in tech circles versus those that might have broader societal impact. Consumer applications often get more recognition and career advancement opportunities than infrastructure or institutional technology work.

Karp argues this creates a talent allocation problem. Regardless of your views on specific defense applications, there's a question about whether our most capable engineers are working on the most impactful challenges. The status and recognition systems in tech may be steering people away from complex problems that actually need solving.

The Craft vs. Scale Tension

Karp talks about how the most important innovations require long-term thinking, patient capital, and a willingness to work on problems that might not pay off for years.

Yet, it seems like the entire startup ecosystem is built around rapid iteration, quick wins, and fast exits. VCs want to see hockey-stick growth curves, not decade-long research projects.

This tension plays out in everything we do at Minted, though I should note that the stakes and complexity of what we face pale in comparison to what Karp deals with at Palantir. When you're building software that intelligence agencies rely on or systems that could impact military operations, the consequences of getting things wrong involve human lives. The pressure to be right and the time needed to ensure reliability operate on a completely different scale than optimizing product-market fit for consumer goods.

Still, the underlying tension exists across industries. There is always the temptation to focus on whatever drives the most immediate growth: more colorways, faster product cycles, broader appeal. But the stuff that actually matters (new material technologies, better manufacturing processes, fundamental improvements in how things are made) takes time.

Karp's argument is that we've systematically deprioritized the hard, important work in favor of the easy, scalable work. The stakes vary dramatically depending on what you're building, but the pattern holds.

The National Project Question

Karp argues that America's technological breakthroughs historically came from large-scale, coordinated efforts with clear objectives. The internet, GPS, touch screens—much of it started as military research that eventually found its way to consumers.

But that kind of patient, long-term investment has gotten much harder to pull off. How do you fund work that might take decades to pay off?

Different people will have different views on which problem sets or challenges should be focused on and who should coordinate those efforts. Maintaining focus on complex, long-term work in a system that rewards quick wins will be a significant challenge—one that yearns for disruptive companies or individuals willing to swim against the "quick win" culture.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Karp doesn't offer easy solutions, and honestly, I'm not sure there are any. But reading this made me think about how we decide what's worth building at Minted. There is a tendency to be pushed toward whatever's easiest to scale and monetize quickly. While there is some value in that, fighting against it requires being deliberate about what problems you're actually trying to solve. I hope to bring that deliberate intentionality to what we are doing at Minted.

Reading anything? Thoughts on the above? Drop them below

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Two roads, one Minted. Where do we go from here?

Minted New York happened by chance. It wasn’t some well-thought-out master plan. It started after I had spent the greater portion of a year making fashion and fitness content online. I released fifteen-ish two-packs of sterling silver necklaces (that I had originally made for myself with no intention of selling). They sold out, I reinvested, and scaling began.

While the brand continued to grow, so did my passion for running and, with it, running apparel. The team expanded to me and Shawn full-time, and Clay part-time as he was still in school. But we still had, and still do have, an affinity for the true art of luxury fashion and, more specifically, menswear. We introduced canvas jackets and later our first full menswear capsule, the Warehouse Collection (part of popup #1). The performance part of the business snowballed into pre-workout, running shorts, racing tops, performance long sleeves, running hats, gloves, socks, etc.

Then came our first Saucony shoe collaboration (a lifestyle shoe), great for introducing new people to the brand we were building; less great for people awaiting the next menswear release. This issue was exacerbated by our second Saucony shoe collaboration (a running shoe): the Endorphin Speed 4.

Only recently have we felt like we’re finding our footing and aligning more closely with the traditional market calendar.

This is where it gets complicated… a customer who discovered us through running might be confused when a Spring/Summer menswear capsule lands, followed by a Spring/Summer running capsule, especially when social media is our main touchpoint with our community (as illustrated by the comments below).

Each side ultimately benefits the other. The technical lessons inform better garment engineering, and the constraints of fashion allow us to better understand silhouette and movement. We just need a brand architecture that lets both functions thrive without causing confusion among our customers (see below).

This leads us to our main issue:

Our menswear is defined by muted palettes, heritage washes, and classic tailoring, whereas our performance/running apparel is defined by hi-vis accents, ultrasonic bonding, heat-sealed seam tape, and material movement studies.

One uses selvedge denim, brushed cotton, fine-gauge cashmere. The other uses moisture-wicking 4-way stretch fabrics, spacer mesh with targeted ventilation, and abrasion-resistant fabrics measuring Martindale cycles in the thousands. One conjures '70s silhouettes and classic Americana. The other draws inspiration from stealth fighters, futurism, and GPS heat maps.

We admit, the Instagram can be confusing. We need brand cohesion, but it has become harder to achieve with two drastically different design languages and product purposes.

My biggest fear, especially as we grow, is that people love our story and our product but can't figure out where to place us. Are we performance/running apparel? Contemporary menswear? Having both under a single “Minted New York” mark complicates things.

Simply put: the identity we've built is starting to feel unclear, and we want to address it.

So where do we go from here? I've been thinking about these four ideas:

1. One “master brand” with clearer sub-lines. Shared equity, one trademark family, cross-selling ease. This requires an aggressive visual system to separate moods, and the (social media) grid still ends up mixed. The website would need to natively split into two experiences, as would the packaging.

2. Spin-off performance gear rebrands under a new name; the menswear keeps Minted New York. Crystal-clear positioning, dedicated socials, easier potential wholesale segmentation. But we'd lose the "Minted" equity on the performance running apparel as well as the logo mark we paid to develop (unless the new naming structure started with an "M"). A big change for our community, and probably the most confusing and risky option to implement.

3. Reverse spin-off: menswear adopts a new name; the running/performance division keeps "Minted Running" and leverages existing momentum in the run niche. The biggest hurdle would be creating the new menswear/fashion line with a new name (total overhaul of branding, packaging, website).

4. Endorsed-brand system: Minted Running by Minted New York; logo situation similar to "Jordan Brand by Nike." It retains a halo effect, the brand continues to have a shared DNA, and we stick to our existing storytelling style. However, the name is long and could be challenging to effectively implement on certain apparel pieces. Additionally, our social media grid-curation challenges wouldn’t be resolved.

What ultimately matters the most? Our branding architecture:

• Product Integrity: The materials, construction, testing, and promise to our customers remain unchanged. Operate at the highest standard.

• Authenticity: Our design language stems from our lived passion, agnostic to trends.

• Community Trust: We have spent four long years earning the trust of our community by developing and making quality products. In turn, we must provide exceptional service.

I'd love to hear your thoughts (feel free to leave them below).

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Or if you prefer to write something longer form (and anonymously): https://tally.so/r/wvbxzD

While I've laid out some options, I'm sure I haven't thought of everything.

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Cheers,

Marcus

Interestingly enough, some people noted that the gradient design on the tee looked “fast.”

Fitting, I thought, considering the entire premise of the collection (and more importantly, the gradient design) was based on very fast things.

The moodboard for the collection in which this product lives doesn’t include many runners or even running-adjacent imagery. Instead, we wanted to explore the world of stealth aircraft, Mach (hence the name) speeds, and the effects of speed on the world around those objects.

For the gradient specifically, we took heavy inspiration from Schlieren imaging… particularly the background-oriented Schlieren technique.

How it works:

1. First, you take a reference image of the patterned background with no airflow or disturbance.

2. Then you introduce something like hot air, shockwaves, or a jet stream, and take another image.

3. The air disturbances slightly bend the light passing through them, causing a distortion in how the background appears.

4. This allows you to affectively map out where the air was disturbed.

Clay began experimenting in Photoshop with the beginning of a shock diamond from a rocket thruster and how it interacts with air in Schlieren imaging, to develop a way it could be overlaid onto a tank. The first round of sampling is below.

Overall, we’re pretty close. After some minor tweaks to the design, we should be able to get these launched by mid-summer.

Questions? Comments? Drop them below

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On our last night together, we wrapped up with an Uber Eats dinner at the office. Some of us were standing around wolfing down food, others sitting, taking it a bit slower and enjoying the meal after a long day.

As the team slowly filtered out, it was just me with my mom and dad sitting around, talking about the craziness of what had just transpired and the current turning point for the brand they've watched grow up. My dad recounted how nervous I initially was about the warehouse - learning to run it, the lease payment, all of it. We laughed about all of the missteps along the way and how our biggest problems of the past don't seem nearly as big now.

Later that night, lying in bed and recounting all the events from the last 3 days, I found myself fixating on that moment sitting there with my parents.

The moment became precious precisely because I could feel its impermanence, could sense how it would someday exist only in memory (well...I guess it already is just a memory). And I wondered: Am I appreciating this enough? Am I present enough? As if recognizing time's passage somehow requires you to experience it more completely.

Maybe growing older is just this - being present in a moment while already feeling nostalgic for it. When a takeout dinner and sitting with your parents after a day of boring work suddenly hits you as something you'll desperately miss someday.

I don't know what to call this feeling. It's not quite sadness. It's not exactly joy either. It lives somewhere between being grateful for what you have and knowing you'll lose it. And maybe that's the point… that truly being present means accepting that nothing lasts, and somehow that makes everything matter more.

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Anyway, on February 5 at 11:00 a.m. EST, we’re releasing some performance winter products and hats:

• Winter Running Jacket

• Thermals: mock neck and crewneck

• New Era Hats: A-Frame, Golfer, Baseball cap

Below, you’ll find some background information on these products, as well as details about their development and refinement process.

Starting with the Performance Thermal:

This performance thermal is offered in both a mock-neck and a crewneck variant. Initially, we planned to use 100% merino wool, but after creating the first sample, we found it was itchy, shrank significantly in the wash, and didn’t fit well.

As the design evolved, we settled on a 50/50 wool/acrylic blend, which gave the garment a better shape, improved its on-body feel, and enhanced its thermoregulating properties.

Above, you can see a demonstration of how effectively this thermal regulates temperature: the merino wool traps heat while allowing moisture to evaporate (visible as frost on Shawn’s back).

Finally, the elastane adds stretch, and the raglan cut adds shape, ensuring a snug fit that enhances insulation and mobility without restricting movement.

Next, the Winter Running Jacket:

When reconsidering the Cold Weather Performance Jacket, we realized (through personal experience and conversations with friends) that there were still ways to enhance version two (v2) of this product.

After completing more than 50 training runs in the jacket, here were my initial thoughts:

1. Hood: While the hood is nice in theory, it needs to be packable. I often tucked it inside the jacket so it wouldn’t flap around in the winter wind.

2. Zipper: Although the zipper caused no major problems, it could be more durable.

3. Inner Chest Pocket: An inner chest pocket would be helpful for holding keys, cards, or a phone, with the added bonus of protecting them from the elements.

We then polled a small sample of people who had purchased the jacket to see if they shared these observations (and to discover any insights we might have missed).

Others clearly had trouble with the hood, so we proposed a simple fix by making it packable. Below is the updated neckline, showing the added zipper seam that the hood can be packed into. Since we don’t yet have a physical sample, I can’t comment on its real-world performance. However, my main concern is the weight of the zipper and ensuring it doesn’t bounce or become noticeable during training.

Taking the above into account, we made a number of changes (including the ones shown in the first image).

I would like many of the items we work on to go through a similar process. Our team is fortunate enough to wear and test almost everything we make, but nothing beats feedback from all of you.

These tops, along with a lineup of our New Era hats (seen below), will release on February 5 at 11:00 a.m. EST.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave them below.

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I envision this as a low-pressure endeavor because I feel reading (at least in the circles I’m involved in) is often perceived as more of a chore than a means of escape or learning—just another thing on a long list of “to-dos.”

It’s fitting that the first book I chose to read this year is about machines, interfaces, and how every aspect—starting the moment you lay eyes on them—is designed to pull you in, keep you engaged until your pockets are drained, and somehow, through the work of science and psychology, leave you eager to come back for more.

Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas by Natasha Dow Schüll was recommended not directly to me, but to in a tweet on X (formerly Twitter) that I happened to stumble upon.

The entire thread that recommended it drew parallels between the way we design applications for our phones and the very science and psychological tricks that go into creating machine games for Vegas.

Before I delve into some observations I’ve found interesting (and hopefully enlightening), I want to talk about the act of reading itself.

I used to read so much—much more than I have in the last couple of years, which I find quite unfortunate. Recently, I’ve been so consumed with work that I never felt the desire to sit down and lose myself in a book. Perhaps the desire was there, but each time I tried to read, I felt I should be working instead. My mind would run through an ongoing list of outstanding tasks until I couldn’t take it anymore, and I’d just put the book down.

This year, I’m trying to reframe that mindset. I’m trying to replace picking up my phone for a quick “reality escape” with picking up a book, even if it’s just for a few pages.

It’s been interesting to see how this is playing out. Rather than scrolling on my phone during my commute to the warehouse, I’ll pick up the book and read as many pages as I can. But something curious happens: I’ve noticed books provide far less dopamine than my phone, and as a result (and probably partly because of everyday stress), I start to nod off after just four or five pages.

I should clarify that I’m not in the “all screen time is bad screen time” camp. For anyone who’s active on social media, it’s important to stay somewhat connected to understand the cultural undercurrents you’re participating in. Unfortunately, that does require a certain amount of conscious consumption of what these apps have to offer.

Anyway, back to the book. I’m about 175 pages in (over halfway), and the parallels between our ever-present phones and the design of electronic gambling machines are frightening. On one hand, the machines are designed to take every last penny from you—but the methods for doing so have changed dramatically over the years.

Schüll explores the evolution of slot machines—from classic mechanical one-armed bandits to today’s sleek, computerized EGMs (Electronic Gambling Machines). She interviews designers who discuss factors like lighting, sound effects, and “ergonomic” chairs, all carefully chosen to encourage longer play sessions.

In the early days of manual slots, players spun the reels in hopes of hitting a big jackpot. Over time, as machines became computerized, manufacturers discovered that if players were kept “winning” small amounts—while their money was steadily draining—they would return and keep playing simply to play. They were no longer playing to win.

Schüll highlights the importance of “losses disguised as wins” (LDWs). The machine lights up and makes celebratory sounds even though the player may actually be losing money overall. Gamblers describe the illusion of winning—lights, bells, quick animations—as creating a sensation of being on a roll, even when their credits are quietly dwindling.

Consider those times when you reach for your phone, open an app, and start scrolling almost automatically—completely unaware you’re doing it—until something finally jars you out of that glazed-over state.

There’s a direct parallel here to what Schüll calls the “machine zone.” She interviews gamblers who describe entering a trance-like state where they lose track of time, money, and even the goal of hitting a jackpot. Their sole objective becomes staying “in the zone,” free from every day worries. Our phones, with infinite scrolling, push notifications, and instant feedback loops, can induce a similarly continuous draw that’s hard to break.

Will this information or the book itself radically change the way I use my phone? Probably not. However, if you’re interested in the intersection of technology and psychology, it’s definitely worth reading.

Are you reading anything right now? Share your recommendations—or any other thoughts below.

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So here I am, on Friday, November 29th, and I still haven’t managed to post this. I don’t know why. I guess I didn’t want it to seem like I was seeking sympathy. Then, at the popup, I ended up talking to someone who had just received a similar diagnosis and was in the “What is this?/this is a bit scary” stage. I did my best to answer her questions and not seem overly worried, and that conversation gave me the final push I needed to hit POST.

It’s 8:08 p.m. on Friday, October 25th. I’m sitting here listening to “White House” by LUCKI, trying to wrap up the end of a day and week that seems to have disappeared before my eyes.

In seven days, we will have just wrapped up our third popup and second shoe collaboration.

Each of these events is special, but this one has roots that reach deep, meander, and spread wide.

My relationship with running technically goes back to a young age. Sprints were either a punishment or a means of improving work capacity in sports. It wasn’t until around 2018 that I got into the sport in a more traditional sense… or maybe it found me instead.

On Friday, October 19, at 10:15 a.m., I walked into Dr. Lev Heimoff’s office for an appointment I had scheduled after returning from surfing (if you can call getting tossed around by waves "surfing"), where I had felt a small lump on the right side of my neck while adjusting my wetsuit.

During that appointment, he expressed his mild concern about the size and location of the lump and urged me to get both imaging and a needle biopsy. A few days passed, and I found myself in an Uber with my dad, heading back to my apartment as he continued on to the airport. Dr. Heimoff had received the biopsy results and wanted to speak with me in person that day… “Not great,” I thought.

By this time, I had been dropped off, and Dad was on his way to the airport, so I decided to call Mom to get her thoughts. I knew that, generally, doctors don’t ask to see you in their office unless it’s important.

Mom picked up, and I told her about the doctor’s request to see me that day. Her immediate response was, “That’s not good,” which… if you know my mom, is both funny and terrifying because there is very little she won’t respond to with, “You’re fine.” Growing up, any injury, bump, cut, or bruise was met with “You’re fine,” so hearing “That’s not good” wasn’t reassuring.

Long story short, that little thing I felt turned out to be thyroid cancer. Before I even had a chance to get home, research it, and understand it better, I was already sitting in a chair, hearing the word “cancer” and feeling an overwhelming wave of emotion.

The issue, and where running comes into all of this, is that I tend to think—a lot. I was living in NYC, still relatively new to the city, with no family nearby, so I had to find a way to process it all.

It started slowly—two miles here and there, music blaring in my ears as I tried to drown out the anxiety, negative thinking, and fear (mostly) about what could be coming next as I counted down the days to surgery.

Looking back now, six years later, and seeing how running has impacted my life, it’s nothing short of special for me. I’ve had the chance to meet some of the most incredible people, produce the gear (down to the shoes) that I run in, and watch a community of 5,000+ runners grow, all because of this sport.

So, I guess this is a mix of gratitude and a toast to many more years of chasing progress.

Cheers

Marcus

This morning, I was talking with some people at run club about Minted Minutes and its evolution. I admit the frequency of posting hasn’t been up to the standard I originally set. In the beginning, when the slate was blank and the business was smaller, it seemed like I could sit down and write about anything that crossed my mind.

As time has gone on and the business has grown, a part of me feels apprehensive about posting what sometimes feels like an unfiltered stream of thoughts.

While that’s not necessarily the point of this piece, I felt the need to preface it since it’s been over a month since my last post.

Sometimes, you just have to eat the punch.

Toward the end of 2023, we submitted a large production run for some hoodies that would release over the course of 2024. It was an order size that, admittedly, made me nervous.

I'd like to take a moment to discuss "going with your gut" in business. I believe that, often, a founder is forced to "feel" their way through the decision-making process.

When you're just starting out, you have little to no data to guide your next decision. You're building on hard work, a bit of luck, and blind faith in what you're working on.

As time goes on and the business grows, so do your responsibilities—to yourself, your shareholders (if you have any), and the people who believe in the business. This growth can put pressure on that "gut" decision-making system.

Risks you may have taken at the beginning suddenly feel too daunting because of the added weight of those responsibilities now influencing your decision-making process.

So, the order is submitted, time passes, and eventually, the hoodies arrive at our warehouse. All good, right?

This is where the problems start. Shawn and I noticed some inconsistencies with the embroidery. These were beyond the normal threshold for minor errors here and there (example below).

With a warehouse already packed to the brim and new products on the way, we had to figure out a solution.

Initially, the situation felt dire. Shawn and I were both equally frustrated with what lay before us (a mountain of unsorted hoodies). We knew the product couldn't be sold at normal retail prices, and we were unhappy with the idea of introducing (new) customers to Minted New York through a product that didn’t represent the quality standard we uphold.

We considered donating the entire batch, but after some research, we couldn’t find many organizations willing to take thousands of hoodies.

The part that Shawn and I struggled with was knowing that the hoodie itself—the construction—met our standards and was wearable. The issues were cosmetic (embroidery, print, etc.).

We eventually decided to sell them at a 50% discount while clearly communicating everything mentioned above.

In the end, while this situation was far from ideal, it pushed us to find a creative solution to an unfortunate turn of events and gave some people the opportunity to grab a nicely discounted hoodie.

While there are not many left - if you would like one, you can grab one through this link: https://mintednewyork.com/products/discounted-hoodies

Cheers

Marcus

PS. we started to produce new episodes every 2 weeks on YouTube if that is something of interest: https://youtu.be/UcM1n7Tclp8

If you have any questions, comments, ideas etc… please feel free to drop them below!

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It was February 7th, 2023, and Shawn and I were sitting at our computers after having just finished the second run (hill repeats) of a double-threshold day. Shawn called out to me, asking if I had seen the email that had just come through. Not thinking much about it, I panned over to my other monitor, expecting either a negative review, a problem with a product, or a manufacturing delay. Fortunately for us, this was not the case.

After reading the email and realizing we had 30 days to get the fabric and trims sourced, jackets made, shipped, and in the hands of Nike in time for the event, I knew we had to get right to work. Under normal circumstances, 30 days is pretty tight but doable. However, in the middle of Chinese New Year, when there is nobody working at the factories, I thought we were toast.

Thirty minutes after digesting the original email, I sent off an email to the CEO, citing the request and hoping he would be as excited about the opportunity as we were.

Eight minutes later, the CEO responded, and we got the ball rolling. The only way these jackets were going to get made was with this manufacturer. I had weighed trying to make them in NYC, as we would have the option of physically checking in everyday, but the capacity and the fact that they had never been made by my manufacturer in the city made this impossible. All our eggs were in one basket—not ideal, but sometimes you have to grit your teeth and pray it works out. There was no plan B for us, and not delivering wasn't an option. I would have flown to China myself with suitcases to bring them back if I had to.

On February 9th, two days after my initial email, I received a message with a clearer view of timing: "If everything runs smoothly, we can exit on the 3rd or 4th of March." Baking in three days for air freight and customs clearance, we should be good to go with one day to spare.

“If everything runs smoothly… we can exit on the 3rd or 4th of March”, bake in 3 days for air freight and customs clearance we should be good to go… 1 day to spare.

When you're branding an item with a logo as recognizable as the Nike Swoosh, you definitely need to have legal signoff from Nike that this is allowed to happen. After a host of compliance checks, we received written approval to use the Swoosh.

On February 29th, 2023, at 4:55 pm, the jackets were handed off to DHL and on their way directly to Nike NYC. On March 6th, the jackets cleared US customs and arrived one day before they were needed.

There is something exhilarating about working under a tight timeline like this. It's like game day, with the final seconds ticking off the clock, the score tied, and it's up to the team to draw something up and go for the win.

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Including dollar figures in this write-up will hopefully help other brand owners understand what something like this may cost.

Location (in our experience) is going to be one of the more significant cost drivers and something I never really want to compromise on. Brand visibility and proximity to foot traffic are extremely important. There are plenty of services out there that will list “popup/short-term” retail spaces for lease. In our experience, if you are okay with getting a bit scrappy, biking around, finding vacant retail spaces, and then calling the number associated with the space will lead you to better options. In a market like NYC, you have many retail locations in prime real estate sitting vacant, and if you can tell a good story, many of the owners/leasing agents will work with you on something short-term. In our most recent short-term lease, this was the case for us - we ended up on Broome Street in SoHo, right off Broadway. It ended up running us $10,000 for the space and $613 to get the proper event insurance coverage (required by the owner).

Current total: $10,613

Once the space is locked in, you will have to do some furnishing. The space felt big for the release of just a shoe. In developing ways to shrink the space, we used drywall to simulate the “Post No Bills” green walls used by construction sites around NYC (below).

Generally, these walls get a wheat pasting treatment and become advertising space for brands looking to use that form of guerilla marketing.

We wanted to bring this same look and feel… inside. It offered us an excellent way to further connect something from NYC to the inside of our space while allowing us to shrink down the “retail” facing portion (below)

This temp wall ended up costing $7,185.75 and the posters were $653.25

Current Total: $18,452

For furniture - we used a prop rental company based in Brooklyn. This place (acme prop rental) is incredible. They have a plethora of different “props” that you can rent, and the nicest part of their business model is that they will deliver and pick up for an added fee. We got everything from fake plants to benches, mirrors, and rugs. I had initially ordered, got the products into the space, realized it looked a bit bare, and submitted another order for more stuff. All of this was delivered within 24 hours and in the space.

Current Total: $24,393.5

For the exterior, we used full-coverage vinyl with the box graphic and the date/time of the popup. Based on what we learned from the first popup, we chose vinyl that lets light through instead of opaque vinyl. We were told the tradeoff is a less “clear” graphic, but it turned out well, and the added light kept the space illuminated.

Current Total: $25,792.94

I am going to lump together security and hired help because there isn't that much to talk about and it is pretty straightforward ($2,400)

Current Total: $28,192.94

Last but not least is the expense of technology. This includes the point-of-sale systems and the one month of internet that you need to pay for to ensure the space has WIFI, etc.

• POS: $927.22

• Internet: $29.03

Final Total: $29,149.19

If we were to add in the smaller expenses that aren’t really worth writing about I think the total comes closer to $30/$31k. Ultimately, as the brand continues to grow I anticipate each popup will become more and more costly as we try to improve upon the last.

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Firstly, you'll have to find the right factory to do the work. In our case, we started in LA (failed), then tried Detroit (failed), and ultimately landed in our backyard in NYC. I will do my best to include every cost of this venture to paint you the most transparent picture possible.

To sample in Los Angeles, we paid $650 in sampling costs and $24.30 in shipping (so you can inspect the bag in hand).

Total cost so far: $674.3

When the bag arrives, we realize we are far off the mark. The biggest issue for us was that we let the factory change the pattern to make things easier to produce, which, after agreeing, meant that we would lose many aspects of the bag that made it unique.

My gut feeling told me it would take many rounds of sampling (with the LA factory) to get the bag right, so I chose to locate a new factory that may produce something closer to the original sample on the first try.

Round 2:

We reviewed what needed to be done and sent them the original sample Clay had made for us to reference. Upon looking at the sample and estimating the work required, we received our next invoice, which was considerably more than the first.

After receiving the sample, I was more frustrated than the first time. This time - liberty was taken with the pattern/design, citing impossibilities in our original work. While I found it hard to believe, I am happy that we were not promised one thing and then delivered something very different.

Cost for sample two: $3,561.25

Total cost so far: $4,235.55

After some discussion with Clay and Shawn, we figured that the only way to get this bag right would be to have the factory in NYC. This would allow us to be hands-on during the entire process and adequately explain what we want the end product to look like, all while considering the necessary changes needed for a full production run.

The third time is the charm:

We landed on a local factory here in the NYC garment district. After meeting with the owner and explaining the original sample and design, I could tell he understood what we were after. He explained that while some things must be changed to make a streamlined production possible, most of the original detailing and structure can be maintained. This gave me great hope and new excitement about moving forward.

We needed custom hardware to fit the bag's oversized strap. This involved its own sampling process, but for the sake of time, I will file all of that under "hardware," which you can see below.

All in all, the third sample cost $1,900 (+ cutting dies, which = $1,900, as seen in the last image of this post) or $3,800.

That brings sampling costs (call it… R&D) to $8,035.55. Those are the hard costs; the only thing missing is labor costs, which I will leave out because there is no good way to break them down.

After sampling, we move into production. In the USA, I have found that most places require you to source everything yourself (fabric, trims, etc.), whereas the places we have worked with overseas have teams that do a lot of that for you (you can certainly request stuff). This can be a rather large time sink - but again, we will leave labor costs out.

Per bag, we need each of the following:

Canvas fabric (2 yards/ bag): $16.8/bag

The Riri zippers: $18.56/bag

Custom hardware (2pcs/bag): $1.42

Labor: $120/bag

Total cost: $156.78/bag

Total cost w/ sample costs: $172.85

With the writing of this post, I hope that people interested in making (anything) get a better understanding of the different steps taken to reach a final product. Making products locally in NYC (or the USA, for that matter) tends to come at a higher cost than in many other places. It is my hope that we can continue to do business with local factories and support the economies of makers in the USA and NYC alike.

In a similar fashion to the early access email signup, if you have made it this far and would like a discount on the bag, please use code: minutes at checkout. We have a few bags left, and I am unsure when a restocking will happen.

Be well

Marcus

As I stood at the starting line, my heart beating like a syncopated drumline against my chest, the memories—a DNF during the 2022 NYC Marathon—weighed heavily; it was a stark ending to a dream nurtured through countless predawn runs in the silent symphony of NYC's earliest hours.

This year's approach was different. A measurable 2,100 miles accumulated on my legs from NYC 2022 to NYC 2023. A majority of which were meticulously orchestrated by a coach with many years of this type of work under his belt. Training went without any hiccups. Benchmark runs felt good, and about 2 weeks out from the start of the race, I remember texting my coach that I was "chomping at the bit" to get racing.

Frank Sinatra's famous rendition of "New York, New York" pierces the excited air, and we are off.

Mile 1 was a sea of runners, a start that made finding the rhythm I had become so intimate with during most of my training hard. The crowd was dense, pushing and pulling unpredictably, making me struggle to find enough space to establish my pace. 7:13 for the first mile was way off the mark, but I told myself it was a long race and that the crowding would sort itself out.

As the miles unspooled, I found some tempo. 20:23 through the first 5km, 39:46 through 10km, and 59:37 through 15km, but by Mile 13, my pace began to slip, moving away from the 6:15 - 6:20 window meticulously set with my coach. Doubt, like an uninvited shadow, began to creep alongside me, whispering of targets slipping through my grasp.

The climb at the Queensboro Bridge during Mile 16 was paradoxically a welcome break. The crowd noise faded into a murmur, replaced by my breathing and the rhythmic strike of sneakers against the pavement. For a moment, amidst that ascent, there was clarity and a brief respite from the growing realization that today might not be the day. Performance anxiety was the formidable foe I had become accustomed to zapping precious energy out of my legs with each wave crashing over me.

Entering the long stretch of First Avenue, Miles 17 through 20 were a slog. I reached for a refilled bottle, my hands shaky, my body rejecting the Maurten 160 mix that had fueled many training runs. I only wanted the simple purity of cold water to quench the mounting thirst.

Mile 22, Fifth Avenue, loomed before me, a long and steady climb that tested my mental as much as my body. The cramps set in, each step an exercise of caution, each mile a reminder that even the best-laid plans can falter under the unexpected trials of race day.

The finish line came into view, not with the exultation of dreams fulfilled, but with a bittersweet tang. I crossed at 2:58, well past my expectations going into the race.

There is an undeniable hunger left unfulfilled, a chapter unwritten. Satisfaction is a complex creature, found not only in the joy of the finish but in the richness of the process. The overwhelming number of times I heard "Minted!" or "Let's go, Marcus" is something that I am forever grateful for. Unfortunately, I was not in a better mental and physical space to show some sort of love to each of you, but it certainly didn't go unnoticed.

To run is to engage in a dialogue with the self, a feedback loop that never ends, where every finish line is but a short pause before the next starting line comes into view, a new dream to be chased.

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Shawn and I have trialed the first test run of receiving in-depth feedback regarding a single product (the performance running jacket). Feedback is one of the most valuable pieces of data that we can collect. As the business grows, I want to build feedback loops into all parts of our process (to improve employee quality of life) and products/experiences to further improve our customers' lives/experiences (as best we can).

In thinking about the running jacket, which, even in version 1, is a high-performing jacket that punches above its price point, I knew (from personal experience and talking with friends) that we could find some ways to improve version 2 of this product.

Some initial thoughts that I had after putting roughly 50+ training runs into the jacket:

1. The hood, while nice in theory, needs a way to be packable. I often tucked it into the jacket so it was not blowing around in the winter wind.

2. The zipper didn't cause me any specific issues, but I felt that we could improve its level of durability.

3. Addition of some form of inner chest pocket that could be used for keys, cards, or phones - with the bonus of keeping it protected from the elements

We decided to poll a small sample size of people who had purchased the jacket to see if they had similar thoughts (and we hoped we could glean some new information that we might not have been seeing ourselves).

Others clearly had trouble with the hood, and we proposed a simple fix of making it packable. Below is the updated flat of the added zipper seam the hood will pack into. Since we do not have a physical sample yet, I cannot tell you how it has performed, but my initial only concern is with the weight of the zipper and making sure that it does not bounce or become noticeable when training.

More feedback screenshots of things that I found interesting are below:

Taking the above into account - we proposed a host of new changes (including the ones already mentioned) as well as a new range of colors to bring this fall/winter.

Down the road, I would like many of the items we work on to go through this process. Our team is fortunate enough to wear and test almost everything we make, but nothing beats the feedback given by the community of people who use the products every day.

The survey sent out for the jacket seemed easy enough to answer and provide feedback. I also wonder if anyone reading this has done something similar for other things and may have a suggestion for the best system for gathering such valuable information.

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Articles I found interesting this week:

How Plastics Are Poisoning Us

Case Study: Algorithmic Trading With Go

How to Do Great Work

This post can serve as a nice preview of what we will release. Please feel free to have a discussion as well as ask questions in the comments here. I will do my best to stay on top of them.

To note: for some people that may be having the following questions:

• Will the cardholders be released as well?

  • The cardholders may finish production this week (June 12th - 16th). Since we are adding two new colors, I will need them photographed and ready to release (this will be a tight turnaround). There is a chance they will make it, but as of now, let's assume they will not be ready in time.

• Will the jewelry be restocked?

  • The jewelry is also close to wrapping up production but will not make it in time to release on the 28th. See direct correspondence with my manufacturer below.

• Will the linen pants be restocking

  • Yes - but on their own at a later date. We are adding four new colors, and they will wrap up production within the next 3-4 weeks. Best pants of the summer (I’m biased)

• Will there be bulk discounts?

  • Yes, it still needs to be finalized, but there will be bulk discounts across most items applied automatically to your cart!

Mesh Shorts

I want to note an update on these new mesh shorts. We changed the logo from a heat-pressed logo to an embroidered logo. Initially, manufacturing told me that embroidery would not be feasible with a mesh because of the holes, so I chose not to go with that option the first time. Ultimately upon hearing feedback from the community that there was some issue surrounding the logo peeling in some places, I decided to push my manufacturer to find a way to get the embroidery done. Ultimately it turned out quite well, and I am happy to have v2 of the mesh shorts ready to be released.

Gym Teacher Sets? - I am not sure what I will call these

The idea around these two sweat suits came from my enjoyment of late 90's gym / Phys. ed. uniforms. I always liked the look of that era more than the modern stuff. I may be in the minority here, but when I am in the gym, I enjoy heavy oversized fabrics, so I am usually in 1 piece of these sets 99% of the time. On top of it all, they are perfectly comfortable to lounge around in. They are both washed (multiple times) in an enzyme that induces fading without affecting the strength and quality of the fabric.

Vintage Wash Basics Tee

The premise here is… basic tee's in basic colors you can wear when you don't want graphics, etc. Shawn loves working out in them; I never have (so take that as you will). The branding is a monochrome embroidery on the back upper (right below the neck).

The Basics Tee’s (non-vintage wash) follows the same idea as the vintage wash version. It is a slightly different material (still 100% cotton) but a bit heavier and holds a boxier shape.

Basics Hoodies below:

Vintage Wash Basics are a favorite amongst the Minted New York community. These hoodies have only been released one time prior (and never in these washes or colorways). I am excited to get these back out to the public. They are HEAVY and minimally branded.

City of Dreams Jacket

Lastly, and probably one of my favorite pieces, is this corduroy varsity jacket. The jacket ties back into the gym / Phys. ed. feel. Two versions of this jacket will be available, One with back embroidery and one without back embroidery. After previewing it on social media, people gave feedback that they would like to have the option, so I went ahead and produced both versions. I found myself wearing this piece quite a lot with a hoodie layered underneath. I look forward to seeing how you all will wear it.

This collection of pieces has been in design and production for quite some time, and while it was a good deal of work to bring it to life, I know the real work is yet to begin. Everything is ready to ship, and it will be a whole team effort to get everything shipped to you as quickly as possible. We will do our best to meet the 1-2 day turnaround, but from a volume standpoint, this will be the most items we have ever released.

I look forward to the challenge!

Marcus

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The last 2 months have felt like a massive blur as I try to hammer out and speed up the pace in which we iterate from an idea —> sample —> product.

Here are some sneak peek images for upcoming products (June)

I would like the quickly note the fading on these hoodies. It took multiple wash cycles to get them this way. So much so that these were initially supposed to be released in late winter / early spring, but the hoodie fabric was so heavy that the washing needed 3-5 more cycles than initially anticipated.

Last month, we received our latest jewelry batch from our Italy manufacturer. However, this time was different. The decision to add Rhodium to our sterling silver jewelry is one that I had fought back and forth with for quite a long time.

For those unfamiliar with Rhodium and its use in jewelry, it is essentially a process where we electroplate a thin layer of Rhodium, a rare, precious metal, onto a piece of jewelry.

I began to explore the idea of increasing the durability of our sterling silver jewelry close to a year ago now. The biggest thing that I wanted to improve was its anti-tarnish properties. Our jewelry holds up quite well for the anti-tarnish coating that is applied currently. However, a handful of customers still noticed harsh tarnishing or heavy darkening.

With a precious metal like .925 Sterling Silver, tarnishing will almost always happen. If you are unfamiliar with tarnishing and precious metals, think of it like this: You know how a banana skin turns brown if you leave it out for a while? That happens because the air around us has stuff that can change things over time. The same thing happens to sterling silver. Even though it starts out shiny, it doesn't stay that way forever. Oxygen and sulfur in the air can stick to the silver, making it look darker or even a little black over time.

With how many of our customers wear the jewelry (myself included), the sterling silver can lose its luster due to the increasingly harsh environments it is subjected to (showers, pools, sweat, oil, etc.).

This is where Rhodium came into play. 3 main benefits sold me on the move to Rhodium:

1. Tarnish resistance: Rhodium is highly resistant to tarnish and corrosion, protecting the sterling silver beneath from oxidation and discoloration.

2. Scratch resistance: The rhodium layer provides a harder surface, making the jewelry more resistant to scratches and everyday wear.

3. Hypoallergenic: Rhodium is a non-reactive and hypoallergenic metal, making it suitable for sensitive skin.

As far as the downsides go? I couldn't find much to write home about from a customer standpoint. Our end has an increased production cost because of how cost-intensive Rhodium is to extract. Outside of that, the sterling silver has a slightly less "white" shine than before, but I feel it is a trade-off that makes sense since the day-one shine won't last forever.

Changing a product that has sold incredibly well for us is always a risk. I don't take these decisions lightly and ultimately make all our business/product-related decisions with the end consumer in mind. At the end of the day, you can only know for sure if you try.

Training

This week's training block was 34 miles with 5 lifts:

1. Monday: OFF (Lift - Push)

2. Tuesday: 6 (2 easy then 4 @ 5:48) (Lift-Pull)

3. Wednesday: 12 - Ran my first 8.5 with Casey (Lift-Legs)

   

4. Thursday: 6 easy (Lift - Push)

5. Friday: 6 (trackwork - 12x400m @ 1:25) (Lift - Pull)

6. Saturday: RUN CLUB 5 Miles (No Lift)

   1. We started running every Saturday morning at 8am. 5-mile loop of Central Park meeting at the Maine Monument - COME RUN WITH US

7. Sunday: 18 Long (No Lift)

   1. This was my 4th week with this 18-mile-long run on Sunday, and while it gets easier, it still kicks my ass. The goal is the first 13 @ 6:45 and the last 5 @ 6:18

Articles I found interesting this week:

Researchers treat depression by reversing brain signals traveling the wrong way

How to Quit Cars

Deep Sleep May Be the Best Defense Against Alzheimer’s

Let's dive into Concept #2

Concept #2 - The Big Apple:

Before I go too much into the design detail, I first want to give a bit of a background on "The Big Apple."

"The Big Apple" is commonly believed to have been popularized in the 1920s by a sports writer named John J. Fitz Gerald. Fitz Gerald used the term in his horse racing columns to refer to New York City's racetracks as the big leagues or the pinnacle of success for horse racing. Over time, the phrase evolved to represent the city as a symbol of opportunity, ambition, and success.

I had previously made a sticker that plays on the motif of "The Big Apple" (below) - taking inspiration from the many fruit stickers that are seared into my memory from childhood.

The running apple from our Run Club design also plays upon the big apple motif.

Considering the above, we can move into the shoe box, the big apple, and packaging as art. I have had an affinity for the unboxing experience since I started the brand in 2021. Looking at some old packaging brings home how far we have come.

What would a shoebox look like if treated as an original art piece? What kind of emotion would it invoke? What would happen to the box after opening it?

The idea here is that when the customer is finished with the box, it is not something they want to throw away and would instead put it on display somehow.

You should quickly think about what it would be like if you purchased a large painting and had to have it delivered to your home. Chances are, this art piece would not come unprotected, and we thought the box should offer that same experience.

Below you will see the idea around a custom bubble wrap. The bubble wrap mimics the feeling you would get when looking at a wrapped piece of art. You could "generally" understand what the work looked like under the bubble wrap, but until you got the wrap off, you would not have a clear image of the piece.

So you open the box and look inside - how does it feel? In a perfect world, I'd want you to think you were looking inside a crate of fresh apples. The shoes would then be wrapped with vintage parchment paper and use our (apple) sticker to hold the paper closed.

We will sample both concepts to see the packaging factory's limitations. I imagine some things will not be possible as we have imagined them, but it's still important to try. I will update you as the process continues!

Training

This week's training block was 34 miles with 5 lifts:

1. Monday: OFF (Lift - Push)

2. Tuesday: 6 (2 easy then 4 @ 5:50) (Lift-Pull)

3. Wednesday: off (Legs)

4. Thursday: 8 easy (Lift - Push)

5. Friday: 8 (trackwork - 12x400m @ 1:25) (Lift - Pull)

6. Saturday: off (No Lift)

7. Sunday: 11 Long (No Lift)

I have felt beat down this week. My heart rate feels like working twice as hard as usual. I have had this sort of "post-race effort" recovery slump before. I will try not to push too soon or fast and listen to my body.

My lower back completely locked up on mile 11 of 18 this Sunday. As I sit here typing this (Sunday evening), it is crazy uncomfortable. I am unsure what happened, but I took a step, and everything seized.

Articles I found interesting this week:

Carl Braun on Communicating Like a Grown-Up

The Horrifying Epidemic of Teen-Age Fentanyl Deaths in a Texas County

The Sound Machine

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When we started working with Saucony and mocking up the first shoe, I knew that we would have an equally laborious process of conceptualizing and iterating on the physical boxes in which the shoes would come.

On Friday we narrowed four conceptual ideas down to 2 ideas as a starting point in moving forward. In the interest of time, breaking down the two concepts into two separate posts makes the most sense. I want to convey the ideas and reasoning properly.

Concept #1 - The NYC Subway:

NYC is a thriving metropolis connected by the NYC transit system, most notably the subway.

On October 27, 1904, the first official subway line opened, connecting City Hall to Harlem. This 9.1-mile-long route, known as the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT), was (at the time) an engineering masterpiece.

Expansion: (1905-1940)

The Brooklyn Rapid Transit (BRT) and Independent Subway System (IND) were developed to compete with the IRT. The BRT, later reorganized as the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit (BMT), connected Brooklyn and Manhattan through tunnels under the East River. Meanwhile, the IND, a municipally-owned system, was built to provide better access to Queens and the Bronx.

Consolidation: (1940-1968)

In 1940, the city of New York acquired the IRT and BMT. This merger made it easier for passengers to travel more efficiently, and despite some financial challenges, the subway continued to expand during this time.

A citywide financial crisis: (1970s-1990s)

Underinvestment and a citywide financial crisis led to graffiti-covered trains, crime, and poor maintenance. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) took action in the late 1980s and early 1990s to restore the subway. With increased funding, the MTA replaced old trains, renovated stations, and implemented modern technology to improve safety and reliability.

Modern Era: (2000s-Present)

The Second Avenue Subway line finally opened in 2017 - a vision initially proposed in the 1920s. Stations and trains have seen technological advancement, notably OMNY's contactless payment solution eliminating the need for coins and fare cards.

So the idea remained, how could we tie this rich history back into a box?

Like most design work, it is important to create a mood board of images that elicit the (end) feeling you envision for the product. Below are some images/types that would help bring the feeling of this box to life.

The metallic nature of the train is something we are going to try and nail. It is not an overtly shiny metallic look (unlike the top left-wrapped box) and more of a dull (used/worn) metallic look. This may be hard to replicate, but that is the exciting part of trying things out for the first time.

The lettering is also clean and easy to read. I want to work this style of lettering into the box's design. On Friday, I contacted the Manhattan Transit Authority (MTA) for a license to use the official MTA logo in our work. Being granted this would elevate the design of the box even further. However, it is out of my control, so we may not get approval.

We can move into some (EARLY) mockups and creativity around a final rough-end product (below).

As a personal note, the top left image looks more akin to something that NASA would use in collaboration. The feel will change when debossing (for the aluminum effect) and the rigid lines of the subway cars are incorporated (the picture in the top right shows what those lines would look like). The main focus is to force ideas onto paper to further push the thinking around the objects.

Training

This week's training block was 42 miles with 5 lifts:

1. Monday: OFF (Lift - Push)

2. Tuesday: OFF (2 easy then 2 @ 5:48 (2 min rest) 2 @ 5:48) (Lift-Pull)

3. Wednesday: 7 (Legs)

4. Thursday: 4 easy (Lift - Push)

5. Friday: 6 (trackwork - 12x400m @ 1:25) (Lift - Pull)

6. Saturday: 6 easy (No Lift)

7. Sunday: 18 Long (No Lift)

After racing the NYC half last weekend, I took a few extra days off. My legs still do not fully recover, but I tried to get some miles on them this week.

[SKINCARE] Do you want to product test?

We are looking for some product testers for our skincare formulation. If you would like to be apart of that journey please fill out this brief survey: HERE

Articles I found interesting this week:

Why Construction Projects Always Go Over Budget

Eight celebrities also charged for illegal touting of Sun’s crypto asset securities

Food inflation hit its highest rate since 1977 last month, having risen to 18.2% in the year to Februaury 2023

Questions? Comments? Drop them below!!

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