Starbury
 |
The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. |
| Starbury, Inc. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Type | Private |
| Founded | Stephon Marbury and Steve & Barry's |
| Headquarters |  |
| Key people |
Stephon Marbury, Ben Wallace |
| Industry | Clothing line |
| Products | Sneakers, apparel |
| Website | http://www.starbury.com/ |
Starbury, Inc. is an American brand of sneakers
and clothing endorsed by NBA players Stephon Marbury and Ben Wallace, and marketed by
Background
Marbury remembers growing up in Brooklyn, NY, 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. Steve & Barry had previously been popular for on-campus university & college focused retailing. The shoes are manufactured in China but there is a third party involved to prevent sweatshop conditions.
Products
Marbury is currently going across the US appearing at malls to promote his clothing line. In addition, he has been interviewed on Oprah, Good Morning America, Good Day New York, Live With Regis & Kelly, Rachael Ray and many other national media outlets.
Marbury's initial shoe lineup entitled "Starbury" includes "The Starbury One," a basketball shoe which Stephon wore 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 April 1st 2007, Stephon Marbury released yet another pair of low-price NBA quality sneakers known as the "Starbury Two". This shoe will also be endorsed by current Chicago Bulls player Ben Wallace. Wallace now also has his own shoe, the "Big Ben", which came out in late August or the Fall of 2007[2]. Other sneaker models which debuted on April 1st include a low-top version of the Starbury II, the "Starbury Team" - a high-top sneaker, the "Crossover LE" - the next incarnation of the low-top "Crossover", and has a "shiny", patent leather, texture to it similar to Bape's "Bape-sta" sneaker, the "SMX Trainer" - the design is radically changed from the first "SMX" model, now a low-top cross-trainer made of "nubuck" material, the "Cyclone II" - sequel to the "Cyclone", a "nubuck" jogging shoe, the "Bowery" - a low profile casual shoe, the "Surfside" - a "nubuck" skate shoe, and the "Tornado" - a running shoe.
Initial Reception
Despite Marbury putting up subpar numbers and the Knicks having a losing season in 2006-07, the shoes still sold well and even teammate Steve Francis and New York Knicks ballboy Randy Cruz had shown their 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. In March of 2007 the first official forum website (starburyshoes.org) was created by Edwin Jones, Anthony G., and Jose Gonzalez under a non profit organization started by Sekou Muhammad and Edwin Jones called The Middle Passage Manhood Training Program , specifically for the shoe similar to niketalk. They discuss the shoe, upcoming release dates, and even hold shoe give aways to support the movement.
Findings on shoe quality
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". Stossel put Marbury's statement to the test and a pair of Starbury Ones were brought to Professor Howard Davis, Shoe Design department professor at Parsons The New School for Design. Davis proceeded to cut apart the Starbury Ones and a pair of "$100 plus Air Jordans" and stated "They're constructed the same way". Stossel then mentioned that "others in the business" came to the same conclusion.
In May 2007, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel had an expert disassemble and analyze the shoes. He determined the materials in Starbury shoes were inferior to more expensive shoes, and wouldn't last as long, but that the shoes were still a better price value.
References
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
