“A Shoe That Fits So Many Souls”
This is an article written by Time Magazine about TOMS Founder Blake Mycoskie, in 2007.
Argentine children outfitted in Toms shoes.
Blake Mycoskie wanted to get away from it all. After founding and running four businesses and losing by a sliver on The Amazing Race, he escaped last January to Argentina, where he learned to sail, dance the tango and play competitive polo. He also visited impoverished villages where few, if any, children had shoes. “I was sitting on a field on a farm one day, and I had an epiphany,” says Mycoskie, who had taken to wearing alpargatas–resilient, lightweight slip-on shoes with a breathable canvas top and soft leather insole traditionally worn by Argentine workers. “I said, I’m going to start a shoe company, and for every pair I sell, I’m going to give one pair to a kid in need.”
He spent the next two months meeting with shoe- and fabricmakers in Argentina and named his self-financed company Toms: Shoes for Tomorrow. He modeled his product after the alpargata but used brighter colors and different materials. “No one looked twice at alpargatas, but I thought they had a really cool style,” says Mycoskie, 30. “I’m a fan of Vans, but they can be clunky and sweaty. These aren’t. They fit your foot like a glove but are sturdy enough for a hike, the beach or the city.”
A Texan who religiously reads biographies of the likes of Sam Walton, Ted Turner and Richard Branson yet ends his e-mail messages, “DISCLAIMER: you will not win the rat race wearing Toms,” Mycoskie had never worked in fashion. With a staff of seven full-time employees (including former Trovata designer John Whitledge), six sales reps and eight interns, he debuted a collection last June of 15 styles for men and women, as well as limited-edition artist versions. They quickly found their way into stores like American Rag and Fred Segal in Los Angeles, where Toms is based, and Scoop in New York City. By the fall he had sold 10,000 pairs, averaging $38 each, online and in 40 stores.
So, as promised, he returned to Argentina in October with a couple of dozen volunteers to give away 10,000 pairs of Toms shoes along 2,200 miles of countryside. “I always thought I’d spend the first half of my life making money and the second half giving it away,” says Mycoskie, who calls himself not ceo but chief shoe giver. “I never thought I could do both at the same time.”
Not that he’s turning a profit. “Selling online has allowed us to grow pretty rapidly, but we’re not going to make as much as another shoe company, and the margins are definitely lower,” he admits. “But what we do helps us get publicity. Lots of companies give a percentage of their revenue to charity, but we can’t find anyone who matches one for one.”
Toms already has orders from 300 stores, including Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters and Bloomingdale’s, for 41,000 pairs from its spring and summer collections, and it will be entering Australia, Japan, Canada, Spain and France this summer. The company will introduce a line of children’s shoes called Tiny Toms in May and will unveil a pair of leather shoes in the fall.
Mycoskie is planning a second shoe drop in Argentina later this year, with more to follow in Africa and Asia. He says 240 customers have told him they would pay to volunteer on shoe drops, so next year he hopes to launch a company offering $2,000 vacations consisting of two days of sightseeing and four days of volunteering. “All these other businesses and deals have been preparing me for this,” he says. “I believe Toms is going to give away millions of shoes one day.”
Fast forward to 2012, TOMS has given away over 1,000,000 shoes and counting!
Giving Report
This is simply an overview about the amazing things that TOMS does, check it out. This PDF outlines the mission of the One For One Movement.
Love your work, work for what you love, and change the world – all at the same time.
– Excerpt, Start Something That Matters
The TOMS Story
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TOMS was founded in 2006 by Blake Mycoskie, inspired by a trip to Argentina where he saw extreme poverty and health conditions, as well as children walking without shoes. That’s when he recognized the traditional Argentine alpargata shoe as a simple, yet revolutionary solution. He quickly set out to reinvent the alpargata for the U.S. market with a simple goal: to show how together, we can create a better tomorrow by taking compassionate action today. To realize this mission, Blake made a commitment to match every pair of TOMS purchased with a new pair given to a child in need. One for One. “I was so overwhelmed by the spirit of the South American people, especially those who had so little,” Mycoskie said. “And I was instantly struck with the desire — the responsibility — to do more.” During its first year in business, TOMS sold 10,000 pairs of shoes. Blake returned to Argentina later that year with family and friends and gave back to the children who had first inspired him. Thanks to supporters, TOMS gave the One Millionth pair of new shoes to a child in need in September 2010. TOMS now gives in over 20 countries and works with charitable partners in the field who incorporate shoes into their health, education, hygiene, and community development programs. TOMS’ giving partners are made up of NGOs, charities, and non-profits already established and working in the countries in which TOMS gives. Their expertise guides TOMS to give new shoes responsibly, making sure there aren’t adverse socioeconomic effects, and to ensure that sustainable giving is possible. Giving shoes to the same children on a regular basis is the idea upon which TOMS was started, and is what truly improves the lives of children and their communities. |
The TOMS MovementThe TOMS movement was started by young people, and they continue to be a huge driving force. With Campus Clubs and internship, compassionate young people are getting involved with TOMS like with no other brand. To keep their thumb on the pulse of the movement, many TOMS supporters stay connected with the active TOMS Community on Facebook and Twitter. Enthusiastic college students were also responsible for getting the first One Day Without Shoes off the ground in 2008. One Day Without Shoes is the day in April when TOMS asks people to go without shoes to raise awareness of children growing up barefoot and the impact a pair of shoes can have on a child’s life. It’s grown far beyond college campuses, and in only its third year, people of all ages got involved — in 2010, over a quarter of a million people went barefoot and over 1600 barefoot events took place globally. |
TOMS
One for One Movement
In 2006, American traveler Blake Mycoskie befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One. Blake returned to Argentina with a group of family, friends and staff later that year with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by TOMS customers.
Why Shoes?
Many children in developing countries grow up barefoot. Whether at play, doing chores or going to school, these children are at risk:
•A leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted diseases, which can penetrate the skin through bare feet. Wearing shoes can help prevent these diseases, and the long-term physical and cognitive harm they cause.
•Wearing shoes also prevents feet from getting cuts and sores. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected.
•Many times children can’t attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don’t have shoes, they don’t go to school. If they don’t receive an education, they don’t have the opportunity to realize their potential.
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