Starbury
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Starbury is a sneaker and clothing line endorsed by NBA player Stephon Marbury and was launched in September 2006. There are many styles, mostly for $9.98, but Steph's on court shoe, the Starbury One, sells for $14.98. The line is currently sold only at the retailer Steve & Barry's and for the month of December the shoe will be sold in Simon malls for the holidays. The shoes are made with the same quality as those of other NBA endorsed players such as the sneakers of Nike or D-Wade or Lebron according to Stephon Marbury.
Marbury remembers growing up in Coney Island (located in Brooklyn, New York) and not being able to afford the latest shoes.[1] Hoping that his discount sneaker idea will become popular, Marbury has gone as far to prove his point by playing in his own brand name sneakers for all of the NBA season starting with the 2006-2007 season. The idea of $15 dollar shoes and inexpensive quality has been an idea of Marbury for a long time according to the New York Knicks point guard. In fact he was the first one to approach Steve & Barry's retailer with his idea for his own inexpensive, quality clothing and sneaker line. The shoes are manufactured in China but there is a third man involved to prevent sweatshop conditions.
Marbury is currently going across the US appearing at malls to promote his clothing line. In addition, he has gone on Live with Regis and Kelly to promote his sneakers on August 3, 2006.[2]
Marbury's initial shoe lineup entitled "Starbury" includes "The Starbury One," a basketball shoe which Stephon will allegedly be wearing all season on the New York Knicks, "Starbury Crossovers," a classic "Air Force One"-style shoe which is listed at $9.98 USD, "Starbury Cyclones," shoes with similar styling to "New Balance" shoes, also retailed at $9.98 USD, and finally the "Starbury SXM," another basketball shoe listed at $9.98. Not only does the "Starbury" brand feature shoes but it also sells low priced clothes. The initial lineup includes varsity jackets, hoodies, t-shirts, jerseys, track jackets and pants, dazzle pants, jeans, jean jackets, and warm-up outfits, all under $10.
According to Andy Todd, president of Steve & Barry's, the Starbury line will expand from 50 products to over 200 for Spring 2007. The line will include "The Starbury Two" sneaker, polo shirts, skateboard shoes, and other lifestyle products; all under $15 dollars. [1]
On March 23, 2007, Starbury was featured in a segment on the ABC show 20/20 (edition entitled "Enough!"), hosted by John Stossel. The segment dealt with the high price of sneakers and the role of Starbury and Marbury as an alternative. During the show, Marbury stated "If you take my shoe and you take a $150 shoe, cut it down in half, and it do the same exact thing.". The host Stossel puts Marbury's statement to the test and a pair of Starbury One's are brought to Professor Howard Davis, Shoe Design department professor at Parsons The New School for Design. Davis proceeds to cut apart the Starbury One's and a pair of "$100 plus Air Jordan's" and states "They're constructed the same way". Stossel then mentions "others in the business" came to the same conclusion.
On April 1st 2007, Stephon Marbury will release yet another pair of low-price NBA quality sneakers know as the "starbury two". This shoe will also be endorsed by Ben Wallace, currently of the Chicago Bulls, and will be also having his own sneaker model, the "Big Ben", coming out in late August or the Fall of 2007.[2]
[edit] Initial Reception
Despite Marbury putting up subpar numbers and the Knicks having a losing season in 2006, the shoes still sold well and even teammate Steve Francis had shown his support by wearing the sneakers in games. [3] Some pairs have managed to sell for almost double the price on eBay auction listings. BusinessWeek named the line one of its best products of 2006.
