I don't know those prices, but I saw all five on eBay earlier for about a grand BIN. Kinda pricey for weird size 11 sneakers.

 

Those are pretty damn snazzy if I do say so myself.

 

where the hell do you get these??

 

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=voltron+reebok&category0=

http://cgi.ebay.com/REEBOK-x-VOLTRON-LION-BOT-COLLECTION-COMPLETE-Size-11_W0QQitemZ260172430869QQihZ016QQcategoryZ63850QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

I have to admit that I find myself liking the blue and black shoes...

 

I'm assuming that you guys aren't familiar with the designer shoe market that's been blossoming in the past decade. Some exclusive designs sell for a few thousand dollars, and most push the two hundred mark. Many have production runs in the low hundreds. Seeing the trend start to spill over into other fandoms isn't much of a surprise.

As for the asian connection; "Sneaker Culture" is very popular in Japan, starting in the late 80's as a mark of individuality. In Japanese schools, uniforms are mandatory, with the exception of sneakers. Many students sought out unique designs to better distinguish themselves. It's actually considered by many sociologists to be one of the first and most important youth rebellions against the over-homogenization of Japanese culture.

The More You Know...