7 Questions with Madison + Marti / Twinkle & Co.'s Marty Early

"Each person has a Dream, a Goal, a Mission..."

 This week we catch up with the official brand for "Selfie Socks," Twinkle & Co.'s co-founder, Marty Early. From learning the music publishing game from the ground up to launching the Madison + Marti lifestyle brand, I've watched Marty's grind progress over the years into something spectacular. No matter what he's had his hand in, he always keeps it humble, 100 and puts in the hard work, plus faith needed to go down as one of the coldest to ever do it. Check the full interview below to learn more about the young visionary. Also, special news: the first 50 people to follow Twinkle & Co. will be entered to win their very own pair of selfie socks. So, don't hesitate to hit that follow button at @twnkle_co. 🙌🏽    

Fresh socks have been hot for awhile now, with no signs of slowing down.What inspired you to flip that idea and create selfie socks?

Were all down for fresh socks!! We created "Selfie Socks", by noticing what was missing in the sock market. There's a few major companies, selling socks with designs that are really cool. Some designs have stripes, stars, professional athletes, rubber ducks and marajuana plants. But, a pair of socks is a personal item. So, we figured how can we make socks even more personal? With data from Instagram, one of the largest (social media platforms). Housing over 500 million active users and over 52 million photos uploaded each day. We thought, what if we used the photos of these individuals, as the design of their very own pair of socks!!!!! Coining "Selfie Socks". No more same socks!!! Ever got your socks stole?? Not anymore. Lol. But we feel people should be, the main attraction. Our slogan is "Be Yourself, From Head to Toe".  

How would you describe your personal style?

My personal style is laid back casual, but with flare. I prefer dressing casual, chinos, denim jeans, or cargo pants, topped with a premium t shirt, button down, or polo shirt. But with flare, because I like to throw in colours, designer accessories & sneakers.   

What designers do you rock on a daily basis?

The brands I rock on a daily would be: Madison + Marti, Ralph Lauren, Nautica, Lacoste, Adidas or Nike.  

I know you’ve had your hand in the music industry.How did you divert from that to your new venture, TWINKLE & Co.?

Yes and I still do. One of my major passions is music and after years of listening, studying, writing music and learning music business and then founding my own label Myart Music Group in 2014, I officially took my first step in the music business. What I didn't know was, that as I learned about the music business, I would be learning about business in general. I taught myself about, the ownership of intellectual property. Hence the music industry is built upon "copyright ownership". As I developed more insight about business, it became more interesting. I developed a knowledge, to spot opportunity, when others can't. This year we launched Madison + Marti, which is our lifestyle brand, as well as the parent company of Twinkle & Co. After running for 7 months & continuous experimentation, we developed "Selfie Socks" & the feedback has been amazing!!!!!  

Did you face any obstacles with bringing TWINKLE & Co. to the market?

Yes!!! For every business, there's a challenge. Our obstacle is going against, what the rest are doing!!! If you search hash tag "Selfie Socks" on Instagram or Google, you'll find a bunch of photos of people taking pics of their feet. What we find is that, were the only company, designing these socks like this. Turning what people call "Selfie Socks" to a literal and physical item. Another challenge was photo placement. At first we wanted to create an all over design, but with the photos being formatted as squares & rectangles, the photo becomes pixelated as we enlarge it. Deciding to use the crew area of the socks, we placed the photo on the outers of each sock. So, that when worn the photo is displayed on the outside right and left leg.  

Who or what keeps you grounded?

I'm grounded by the belief, that my future is what I make it. The seeds you plant of today, will bear the fruits of tomorrow. We live in a world where some great people have left their marks and as design my future, I want to make my mark as well. If you can see it in your mind, you can see it in your hand. Guys like Warren Buffett and Gary Vaynerchuk, are my official unofficial mentors.   

How do you define success?

I define success, by cultivating your dreams into reality. Each person has a dream, a goal, a mission and I think success is the accomplishment of that dream, goal, or mission. When you finish strong, on a long term goal, there's a liberating feeling involved. Its like inhaling a deep breath and then finally being able to exhale, after all the hard work is done. Refreshing.