Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their very own.
Stephon Marbury had a tumultuous basketball profession. He went from being hailed as a franchise savior in New Jersey to being lambasted as a scapegoat by his hometown New York Knicks. This all occurred transferring abroad to play in China, the place he turned revered like a god.
However all through all of the ups and downs, one factor remained in line with Marbury — his potential to market himself. From Brooklyn to Beijing, the Coney Island child has at all times carried a singular swagger and stayed in contact along with his roots.
He turned the primary NBA participant to endorse avenue ball model AND 1, and launched the corporate into a brand new stratosphere of cultural relevance along with his flashy play fashion and bravado. He turned his iconic nickname, Starbury, right into a bona fide model, dominating headlines in 2006.
Now, as chief model officer of Chamelo Eyewear, Marbury is channeling that very same cultural clout and enterprise savvy into a brand new enviornment.
Associated: The Subsequent Chapter of Basketball? Why This New League Is Betting Massive on 1v1 Hoops
Futuristic imaginative and prescient
Chamelo’s aren’t simply any outdated sun shades. They do not simply block UV rays or make you look cool — you may modify the tint, swap colours and even take heed to music or take calls. Whereas the tech itself is not model new, Chamelo has leveled it up, chopping the shade-change time down to only 0.9 seconds, in comparison with so long as eight minutes on different platforms.
“What we’re doing is thrilling as a result of it is one thing new to the world,” Marbury says. “We have Prismatic lenses that shift between 4 totally different colours. No one’s ever seen that earlier than. And once you’re a part of one thing that is by no means been performed earlier than, and it is a win-win for everybody, that is particular.”
Marbury was first launched to Chamelo’s tech on the Jockey Membership in Hong Kong, the place he met founder Fenghua Li, an avid basketball fan.
“Throughout the first 5 minutes, he confirmed me the glasses, and I used to be like, wait — do this once more,” Marbury remembers. “I would by no means seen something prefer it.”
Sensing the chance, Marbury instantly expressed curiosity in serving to Chamelo develop into the U.S. It wasn’t lengthy earlier than the 2 reconnected in Malibu and started constructing the enterprise.
Li sought out Marbury not only for his advertising and marketing prowess, however his legendary standing in China, the place he gained three CBA championships for the Beijing Royal Fighters, changing into one of many nation’s most beloved athletes.
“He figured doing enterprise with me in America can be simple,” Marbury says. “I stated, look, it isn’t vital for individuals to know my position — it is extra vital that we construct this up and present those that the following wave of future know-how is right here.”
Associated: Chris Paul Was Uninterested in Bland Plant-Based mostly Snacks — So He Made His Personal.
Collaboration and teamwork
Although Marbury needs Chamelo to carve out its lane within the eyewear trade, he additionally emphasizes the significance of collaboration.
“We wish to be associates with everyone so everybody can make the most of our know-how,” he says. Since becoming a member of the corporate as chief model officer, Marbury has led a number of artistic advertising and marketing initiatives, together with a limited-edition “Knicks Aura” sun shades assortment, a cope with China Responsibility Free Group, and a partnership with New York Mets legend Jose Reyes.
“It was love at first sight,” says Reyes. “Their fashion and lens color-changing know-how jogged my memory of how I used to play. I might completely put on them in a sport.”
As Chamelo’s first official ambassador, Reyes labored carefully with the model to co-design a brand new sun shades assortment set to debut all through 2025.
“I used to be hands-on with the design, paying shut consideration to the main points,” he says. “My fashion will likely be amplified on this assortment.”
An entrepreneurial previous
Chamelo is not Marbury’s first enterprise into shopper merchandise. Almost 20 years in the past, he launched Starbury, a footwear model that made headlines for its $15 sneakers and dedication to affordability.
“Starbury was an excellent crash course,” Marbury says. “I obtained to study the American market at a difficult time.”
Regardless of early buzz, the model pale after its unique retail accomplice, Steve & Barry’s, filed for chapter in the course of the 2009 monetary disaster. The expertise taught Marbury a beneficial lesson about management: “It is higher to have every thing in place and construct a enterprise the place you may be vertical,” he says.
Whereas Marbury’s purpose with the Starbury sneakers was to make high quality footwear extra accessible for youths, some critics misinterpret the low worth level as an indication of low high quality. With Chamelo, he is taking a extra strategic method, following a “good-better-best” pricing mannequin.
“I at all times attempt to have one thing for everyone,” he says. “Our subsequent step is creating an inexpensive pair of glasses so youngsters can expertise and experiment with the know-how.”
In his quick time as chief model officer, Marbury has infused Chamelo along with his signature swagger and unmistakable New York edge, serving to the model stand out in a crowded market.
“We really feel privileged and grateful that when individuals stroll into sure shops and see Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Versace, and Prada, in addition they see little outdated us,” he says.
With current partnerships alongside the New York Knicks and Jose Reyes, Chamelo’s future is barely getting brighter. Good factor the shades are adjustable.
Stephon Marbury had a tumultuous basketball profession. He went from being hailed as a franchise savior in New Jersey to being lambasted as a scapegoat by his hometown New York Knicks. This all occurred transferring abroad to play in China, the place he turned revered like a god.
However all through all of the ups and downs, one factor remained in line with Marbury — his potential to market himself. From Brooklyn to Beijing, the Coney Island child has at all times carried a singular swagger and stayed in contact along with his roots.
He turned the primary NBA participant to endorse avenue ball model AND 1, and launched the corporate into a brand new stratosphere of cultural relevance along with his flashy play fashion and bravado. He turned his iconic nickname, Starbury, right into a bona fide model, dominating headlines in 2006.
The remainder of this text is locked.
Be part of Entrepreneur+ right now for entry.
