Dang! Apparently the exclusive Ryan Lochte shoe from Speedo is a little too exclusive, because, as the Ryan Lochte Official Fan Page puts it:

“While the hi-tops are specially designed by me, for me, I’ve also worked with Speedo to design a special limited edition flip flip collection – inspired by my hi-top shoe design – that will be available for purchase!” (source).

If you haven’t seen Ryan’s sequined-out green hi-tops, the photos are now online. I guess whether you like them or not is irrelevant, because they’re not for us. So much for the swim blog posts speculating about the shoe’s features, or a list of criteria for a Ryan Lochte shoe from Speedo.

It was an interesting marketing campaign though, and definitely got my attention. The Swimmers Circle even called the reveal at Nationals the “biggest mystery of the meet” (source).

The down side, however, is that I am left feeling inadequate. In a way, it makes Ryan’s celebrity persona more untouchable, rather than allowing him to connect to his fans on a footwear level. Why can’t we wear the same shoes, Ryan?