good for him! over 344,000 sold already.

Name-brand, cool, low-cost
The NBA's Stephon Marbury wants to sell athletic shoes families can afford
By Tanika White
Sun reporter
Originally published September 17, 2006









Growing up poor with seven siblings and in a rough-and-tumble Coney Island, N.Y., neighborhood, NBA star Stephon Marbury has told the story about how he always wanted to be one of the kids boasting about their fresh-out-the-box pairs of Air Jordan sneakers.





Today, the New York Knicks point guard is a millionaire with money to burn. But as far as he's concerned, families should not have to choose between the light bill and a pair of $150 sneakers - the kind of shoes for which kids have competed and sometimes fought and died over.

So he's bucked the prevailing NBA-shoe-endorsement dogma by creating his own high-performance, deftly styled basketball shoe - that costs just $14.98. At that price, it's considered high-end for the much-buzzed-about Starbury collection, which includes three other styles of sneakers and a line of urban apparel, most of which sells for under $10.

Such prices are turning heads, defying an industry strategy that has made millions of dollars for footwear companies and their celebrity endorsers but has shown signs of slowing.

"It just may work," says Natalie Weathers, assistant professor in the fashion industry management department at Philadelphia University. "The consumer today has become a lot more sophisticated about where they'll spend their money because they understand they have options. ... They may decide, 'Why am I spending $100 or more on these name brand sneakers?'"

Whether kids embrace Marbury's "Starburys" - and some competitors are skeptical that they will see the cut-rate shoes as cool - many parents appreciate a measure of sanity restored to the pricing of footwear.

"Oh, this is nice," said Rodney Cooper of White Marsh recently, holding two pairs of newly purchased Starbury sneakers for his 8-year-old son. "Instead of paying $125 for a pair of Nikes, with Michael Jordan or whoever's name on 'em, you can get these."

That's the philosophy behind Marbury's newly launched collection, the centerpiece of which is the $15 basketball shoe - the Starbury One. The shoes can only be bought at Steve & Barry's, a 140-store chain based in Port Washington, N.Y., that helped Marbury design, produce and sell the shoes.

"Stephon has a dream, has a vision of impacting the inner city in particular, kids in general and all shoppers, if he can find a way to make these kinds of sneakers more affordable," said Howard Schacter, chief partnership officer for Steve & Barry's. "So we had a conversation and said we think there may be a match made in heaven here."

The partnership, which began last summer, is one of the first in which an NBA star isn't paid handsomely up front to endorse the basketball shoe, which hit the market last month. Instead, Marbury will be paid a percentage of Steve & Barry's profits, "based on the performance of the collection," Schacter says.

Steve & Barry's officials would not elaborate on the financial success of the shoe so far but say the sneaker is a hit with consumers.

"We are a volume business," Schacter says. "We are comfortable making pennies on each one. We are doing what we are doing for kids and parents. ... What we are doing is the right thing to do."

Those who watch the athletic shoe industry say Marbury's new sneaker has a much smaller share of the market than industry leaders Nike, Reebok and Adidas.

"There's no way to compare the market share of the Starbury, when it has a tenth of a tenth of a tenth of the market," says Mike May, spokesman for the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association in Washington.

Still parents, kids, and footwear and fashion experts are singing Marbury's praises.

Steve & Barry's stores, including Baltimore's Eastpoint Mall location, routinely sell out of the shoes within days of receiving them. Articles in Slate and reports on National Public Radio tell of long lines of shoppers waiting and clamoring to buy.

"Before, I didn't really pay a lot of attention to Stephon Marbury," says D'Vonte Nixon, 11, whose mother has purchased for him at least three pairs of Starbury shoes. "But now that he's come out with these, I really look up to him. A lot of people can't afford $50 or $100 for shoes."

"Go on with your big, bad self, Stephon," says Kelly Rae, fashion and grooming director at Stuff magazine. "What I think is hot about it is that he's one of the coolest players out there, and at the same time he has this really affordable shoe. It just makes it cool and accessible to everyone."

Not everyone is impressed.
"Our customers, they want the higher-end and they want the most exclusive shoes, and we sell 'em," said June Sanders, men's footwear buyer for DTLR (formerly Downtown Locker Room) stores.
Sanders doubts Steve & Barry's claims that the shoes are "exactly the same as the most expensive kicks on the market," as Marbury's Web site boasts.




"The quality of the shoe can't be the same if the shoe costs $15," he says.

Steve & Barry's officials beg to differ. The shoes feature the same type of synthetic leather, foam fillings, laces and tongue mesh as high-end sneakers, says Scott Hoffman, Steve & Barry's general merchandise manager. And the outsole was designed with "the same lightweight, yet durable rubber as used in the best sneakers on the market," he says.

"Make no mistake about it; it is the same exact sneaker that you would see in a basketball line from other basketball shoe manufacturers," says Erin Patton, whose consulting firm is marketing the Starbury collection and who worked at Nike as Jordan brand director for five years.

David Wayson, an 11th-grader at Kenwood High School in Essex who tried a pair of Starbury Crossovers, said, "The shoes really weren't as comfortable as I thought they were going to be.

"Instead of a sports shoe, it seems like more of a casual shoe you'd wear to your grandmother's house for Christmas dinner," said Wayson, 16. "It doesn't have the padding in it that a sports shoe should have. They're hard to run in."

But Aaron Carter, 16, of Edgewood High School in Edgewood, came to the opposite conclusion about his Crossovers, which he described as very comfortable.

"A lot of people were asking about 'em and where I got 'em from. They were surprised. I'll probably wear these a lot, more than other shoes," Carter said.

Marbury himself vows to wear the shoe during the NBA season.

To some, that will be the ultimate test of the shoe's quality.

"I know that[Shaquille O'Neal], when he was with Reebok, he wore his shoe [on the court] and because of his weight and because he was so big he had to change them every third game. I wonder how often Stephon Marbury will have to change his shoes," May says.

So why the tremendous difference in price of the Starbury?

"It costs less than $14.98 to make a high-performance shoe," Schacter says. "It costs less than $14.98 to make shoes, period."

Much of the cost of high-priced basketball shoes has to do with endorsements, advertising and other business expenses that Steve & Barry's purposely eliminate, Schacter says.

"Most consumers don't realize there's a heavy, heavy price that they pay for things like logos and for advertising campaigns and for things like corporate jets and other things that they're not seeing behind the scenes," he says.

From the time an athletic shoe leaves the factory - usually overseas - it can be marked up 200 times before it hits store shelves, says Nate Herman, an economist for the American Apparel and Footwear Association. "I haven't seen this shoe in particular, so I can't say if it's the same quality," Herman says. "But a lot of higher-priced shoes, a large part of what's pushing the price, is the star that's behind the shoe, or the brand that's behind it."
Without the help of an advertising campaign or a world-renowned brand, Marbury hustles his product himself. He alone models the shoes and clothes on the Starbury Web site. And he is traveling the country, signing autographs and hawking athletic wear, stopping at Eastpoint Mall later this month. Details can be found at www.starbury.com.

Although Marbury's star quotient is far from that of Michael Jordan's, for instance, experts agree that he is a big enough star to have "street cred" with young people - which will help sell $15 sneakers to consumers who have been programmed for years to think the pricier the sneakers the higher the status.

"I wouldn't mind buying a shoe that costs $15," says Gurnie Ware, 20, of East Baltimore, who hadn't seen the Starburys but had heard of them. "It's just that most of the shoes I buy cost more than that. But if I like the style, I'll buy 'em. Stephon's cool."

Street credibility aside, Marbury might do well with this project because it comes at a good time, says Neil Weilheimer, executive editor of Footwear News, a weekly news and fashion magazine for the footwear industry.

"Sales for the athletic shoe market are sluggish. There's not a lot of innovation coming in. So anything that generates a little buzz can be positive," Weilheimer says. "It's well-timed, too. It's back-to-school season and the NBA kickoff. I think it's a creative approach, but we're waiting to see if it'll be a trend where others will offer a cheaper alternative."

Nate Booker of Dundalk, who usually spends between $70 and $90 for sneakers for his son, 9-year-old Armani Jones, said, "He's just gonna beat those down as fast as he would some that cost $15. So why not?"










[Edited 9/17/06 7:05am]

Too bad they're made in china wear factory workers do not earn a living wage.

silly comment edit.
[Edited 9/17/06 7:35am]

Yeah, he got bounced from "And 1" and makes it sound like this is what he wanted to do all along.

My favorite "Starbury" story is how he got jacked for his multi thousand dollar chain in Brooklyn once. Dude is FROM Brooklyn, he should know better!!

you guys just suck the air out of anything. if they were $114.98, then he's bad and sending the wrong message. he makes them $14.98 and he gets joked.

Good for him.

Fury said:

I'm negative by nature, but you see my point, right? How much was he selling his And 1 kicks for? All of a sudden he's some philanthropist? Please, he had no other choice, and no amount of spin doctoring can make me look past that shit.

Fury said:

Tis the Org, Fury. I think it's really cool of him to do.

jerseykrs said:

nike's been jordans for what...20 years now, and they still haven't done anything like this. not saying that stephon is doing something revolutionary--shaq's been seeling shoes at payless for years--but i'm sure stephon could have easily gone to adidas, reebok, or even converse and put out a higher priced shoe...just saying.

Fury said:

You make a point, however, in the lucrative shoe market, I don't think he had those options. It's limited in distrubition also to his market, that seems a tad business driven to me. Besides, and I DO NOT agree with this at all, but, I grew up in the city, do you think anyone will be profiling with their 15 dollar Starbury's? Hell no, they'll get clowned. Shit, if anything, it's WORSE now with the images and lifestyle that is forced down the demographics throat that they are aiming towards.

I'm not arguing Fury, I hope I'm not coming off that way.

jerseykrs said:

i agree with 100% (and definitely not arguing) ...and i'm a big city boy (Bawlmer) and everyday i see parents trying to spend $$$$ on shit they can't afford. i was just suggesting that companies like nike COULD, if they wanted to, put out a lower end shoe for people who can't afford the top-shelf line. parents need to teach these damn kids that when you save up $150 you can buy whatever you want--but until then, put these Starbury's on
(i used to have to wear a lot WORSE than that)

jerseykrs said:

Don't you live in amusementparktopia ?

I agree that if the product is too cheap, it simply won't be a hit with the demographic he's aiming for. Sportwear, unless your talking about golf, will primarily be worn by the youth, and you have to make it appeal to them. Low prices is not something that ever makes a teen want to buy something. I mean, girls here in Birmingham are walking around with 200 dollar jeans. Insane!
[Edited 9/17/06 7:57am]

Fury said:

Yeah, now I can agree with that! My first pair of Nikes were bought with MY very first paycheck. Now, I'm a bit of a snob, but that's irrelevant to this thread....hahahahah

But yeah, Nike is just as much at fault, it's all about profit and greed with any big time corporation.

purplerein said:

i guess you have to exploit one child to benefit another.

Anx said:

Anx said:

That's unfortunate but the US does not hold corporations responsible and neither do we as Joe Public. All we care about is that something looks good. We take the human element out of situations all the time.

Stymie said:

i think it's impossible to live a 100% ethical life, especially in our consumer culture. but nike is one of the most notorious users of sweatshop factories where workers do not get adequate wages or working conditions. knowing that - and knowing nike is fully aware that we know it and has no plans to change - makes me a little non-plussed that nike is using this basketball player to show that they care about the poor kids. come on. it's hypocrisy.

if he were selling these 15 dollar nikes and saying that a dollar from every sale went to benefit those workers, maybe we'd be on to something.

Anx said:

do you know what a bathroom scent factory worker gets paid...?...shame on you Angst

Anx said:

Well you and I have the same stance on Nike. I know it is impossible to live a 100% ethical life but there are a few things I try to do like not buy Nike or Payday candy bars or buy blood diamonds. I do think that caringa little more could bring change on a global scale.

purplerein said:

i'm sure target pays the method factory workers good damn money to make my peppermint shower spray with matching candle.

Stymie said:

i think we're saying the same thing in two different ways, maybe. anyway, i agree. what's the deal with payday bars, other than they're always stale tasting?

Anx said:

They put a lot of American workers out of work and moved their factory to Mexicxo and I haven't bought a Payday candy bar since. I know it isn't big deal but it makes me feel good.

Anx said:

Stymie said:

i didn't know that. i'll keep not eating 'em then.

Hakeem Olajuwon did this like 15 years ago and Shaq did it like 5. The problem is that the kids still want the expensive shoes because it's a status symbol. There are already cheap shoes on the market and putting someones name on them isn't going to take away the Kmart perception.

lovemachine said:

That's very true.

Congrats to this guy !!!

I just bought a couple pairs of these last weekend. He also has a model that cost 10.00 bucks. I bought one pair for ten and the other for 14.98. Stephon Marbury gets on my nerves as a player,,,, but this is good work that hes doing.

lovemachine said:

shoot..i WANT another new Prince masterpiece
i GET enjoyable new , Prince by the numbers

lesson: you can't always get what you want, but i'd be happy either way