Ok...so you know how much I love independent, original design, right? So the last thing I ever thought I'd be writing about is basketball shoes. Besides the fact I don't play, I generally think the shoes (think Air Jordan's which retail for over $175.00) are mass marketed, over priced, and over-hyped. Then along comes Stephon Marbury of the NY Knicks. I have nothing but love for Stephon Marbury. Not only did he design a great basketball sneaker, but he did so with a conscious.
Growing up in a Coney Island household with parents struggling to make ends meet, Stephon Marbury knows first-hand the pressure kids, parents and playground basketball players feel to spend top-dollar on the latest clothes and sneakers. Today, as a high- profile NBA player, he's now in a position to realize a lifelong
dream to "change the world" by eliminating that aspect of our culture.
Marbury has announced that he is teaming with national casual apparel
retailer Steve & Barry's to introduce the Starbury Collection.*
The Starbury Collection features nearly 50 casual and comfortable items for men and boys, including jackets, jeans, hoodies, tshirts, athletic tops and shorts, lifestyle and performance sneakers, work boots, hats and other accessories, with nearly every individual item priced at an astonishing $10 and under.
"Two hundred to buy a pair of sneakers," Marbury says, "that's groceries for the week." He wants Starbury One's low price to show kids how little it costs to make a high-quality sneaker.All I have to say is... it's about time... and hopefully his actions will shame his competitors into taking the same kind of action.
*Thanks to prnewswire for the quotes and concreteloop for the tip!
