DISTANCE CULTURE

Minted New York was founded in 2021 by Marcus Milione, who left finance to build something rooted in design, alongside his brother Shawn Milione. What started as a small, self funded operation quickly separated itself through transparency. From the beginning, Marcus documented everything. Sourcing, sampling, production, mistakes. The process became the product, and that built a community before anything ever sold.

That early foundation still defines how the brand moves. Minted has stayed self funded, avoiding pre orders entirely and taking on the risk of producing everything upfront. It forces discipline. Smaller drops, tighter control, and constant refinement based on real feedback. Marcus and Shawn run it lean, with decisions made close to the product, not outsourced or overextended.

A big part of that evolution comes through design, with Clay Barckholtz shaping the visual direction. His approach sits between technical precision and restraint, helping define the balance Minted has become known for. Nothing feels overdesigned, but everything feels considered.

What began with jewelry expanded into something much broader. Performance gear, menswear, accessories, and now even endurance fuel. The shift into running brought early attention, but the brand never stayed confined to it. Instead, it built a system where performance and everyday design exist side by side.

That balance became most visible through collaborations with Saucony. What started as an emerging partnership quickly turned into one of the brand’s defining moments. From the ProGrid Triumph 4 to the Endorphin Speed 4, Minted proved it could operate at a high level within performance while still maintaining its identity. These weren’t surface level collaborations. They carried real input from the team and reflected how they see running culture through a New York lens.

Now the next chapter is forming. The upcoming release, often referred to as Chromium, pushes that idea further. A chrome, almost mylar like execution that feels tied to post race visuals and endurance culture, but elevated into something more conceptual. It reflects how far the brand has come, from self funded beginnings to working on globally recognized silhouettes.

Minted New York sits in a rare position. Still independent, still controlled by the same small team, but now operating on a much larger stage. What makes it work is that nothing about the approach has really changed. The scale grew, but the process stayed the same.