They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? We'll there's been a couple of very notable attempts at flattery in the sneaker industry over the past few weeks and Starbury is the latest to join the fray.
In a story first reported by Sole Collector, Stephon Marbury - a former NBA baller and current basketball star in China - recently took to Instagram to share a CAD of an upcoming Starbury model. While there's nothing wrong with giving your fans a glimpse of some future product, there are folks that are going to take issue when your "new" model is a full-time jack move of one of the industry's hottest sneakers. Essentially, the next Marbury sneaker may as well be called the "Starbeezys" for its flagrant rip-off of Kanye West's adidas Yeezy Boost 350.
Starbury joins Steve Madden and Uncle Martian this month as companies making made headlines in the footwear industry for their knockoff attemps. Uncle Martian looked to steal some of Under Armour's steez by pretty much swagger jacking the brand's identity while Steve Madden released fugazi versions of the aforementioned Yeezy Boost 350. Madden has since removed the offending silhouettes from its sites.
Will Starbury continue with his plans to release its version? To give Marbury and company some credit, he's been on the forefront of providing his fans with affordable sneakers. And Kanye West did say he wanted all his fans to be able to get a pair of his kicks.
Could this release be a misguided attempt to address both points? Who knows, but it'll be interesting to see the public's reaction when, or if, these ever see the light of day.
