TStephon Marbury has always been outspoken as a player in the NBA and with his relaunch of his Starbury athletic shoe – which is his attempt to provide specifically the Black community with quality, affordable shoes – is screaming directly to dominant athletic shoe and apparel companies and the shoe culture itself.

Stephon Marbury originally presented his Starbury sneakers and sports apparel in 2006, holding firm to his mission offering all of shoes and clothes for only $15.

Marbury gained a little attention when he announced the relaunch of Starbury, but it was him directly calling out Michael Jordan for his unempathetic, dismissive stance towards the deaths and robberies attributed to the high-priced shoes.

Marbury, who is currently a three-time champion and MVP in the Chinese Basketball Association, also threw a sledgehammer at the marketing facade behind Nike Air Jordan’s and other pricey shoes. Marbury stands behind the quality of his shoes, even revealing that his shoes that he is selling for $15 are made in the same Chinese factories as Air Jordan’s for only $5 a pair, but sell for $200+.

Nike, in particular the Air Jordan brand, has created such a demand for its shoes, that it has become common to see people line up days in advance at stores to purchase a pair. Violence has also followed the shoe brand for at least 20 years as the coveted basketball shoes became targets for robberies and even murders. Michael Jordan and Nike’s lack of attention to this problem, and even more attempts to restrict availability of their shoes, essentially likens the profits made from the popular shoes to blood money.

Further “pulling back the covers” on the facade behind the shoes, Marbury is pointing out just how much Nike and Jordan are exploiting the people buying its shoes, in particularly the more economically depressed communities, by charging so much for a product that costs so little to make.

Starbury is a bold attempt to change the shoe culture, which really has taken on a life of its own. The shoes are seen as “status symbols” and for someone that does not have the money to purchase Air Jordan’s, or even name brand/premium shoes, socially they often become ridiculed or ostracized.

Source: boss.com

Date Posted: Thursday, October 8th, 2015 , Total Page Views: 1446