Starbury's

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In a Nutshell:

This line of shoes was founded by Stephon Marbury.  For those who don't know, he was a very potent scorer in the NBA for several season before moving his playing career oversees, China to be exact.  Because of his style of play, he is perhaps that country's most well-known basketball player.

Back to his line of shoes, he grew up being poor and really inspired him to come up with shoes that didn't cost $200.  Right now he is working shoes that possesses the quality of top-branded shoes for as low as $15.  With the labour market in China being so low in cost, it was not impossible to achieve.

There are some who doubt that he'd be able to survive because of the high operating and marketing cost that comes with selling shoes.  His claim is that top-branded shoes are so expensive because they charge for the consumer brand loyalty.  Customers will pay for the branding.  Marbury's focus is on a different market sector, obviously.  He's targeting those who can't afford or can't justify paying top dollar for shoes that serve the same purpose for a fraction of the price.

Read this article for more details.


What I Saw:

Coming across an actual pair of Starbury's in a thrift store the other day inspired me to make this posting.  I didn't think these shoes would make it to Nanaimo so soon, let alone Canada.  For people following my blog, this will certainly help educate them on how these shoes came about.

I want to talk a little bit about the logo.  His last name is Marbury, nicknamed "Starbury", and wears #3.  The 3 is easy to see right off the bat.  If you turn the 3 sideways it becomes an "M".  Look even closer at the logo and you'll see a star formation within.  I want to critique the logo for a sec.  Look at the logo on each shoe.  I think the triangle should be left hollow like that.  It's awkward to see one corner of the star filled in and not the rest.  Luckily, the paint has worn off on the logo for me to better convey my thoughts.

If I were to have my say in the logo, I'd leave both the triangle and the M hollow.  If it's important maintain the weight of the logo by leaving the M filled in, I'd leave the triangle hollow, take away the middle line of the triangle and draw lines from both sides of the open triangle to the outer tips of the "M".  That would unify the logo, while maintaining the three things he's trying to symbolize, and it doesn't leave us wondering what that triangular piece represents.