Woo Hoo! TOMS ballet flats are here! Finally, a cuter alternative to their classic unisex flats. Yes, they are pricey for canvas shoes, but you gotta love their One for One business model.
For every pair sold, TOMS gives a new pair to a child in need. According to their website, the pair that they donate to children (called the Giving Pair) is most frequently the black above mentioned "alpargata". They found these to be the best because they are generally approved for school uniforms, kids can walk and play in them while protecting their feetsies, plus they don't require shoe laces which can break easily and are difficult for many families to replace.
It's an awesome company--one of the first to adopt a buy-one/donate-one philosophy for their entire product line and they have inspired many other companies to do the same. Here's what else: TOMS founder, Blake Mycoskie, who attended SMU for two years before his entrepreneurial spirit whisked him away, won the 2011 Emerging Leader Award from my alma mater! Pony up!
So, that guy is Blake...but who's TOM?
There is no TOM. We like to say that everyone is TOM, because what TOMS stands for, it's a derivative of the word 'tomorrow' and the idea that we have a better tomorrow. When we started the project, it was called the Shoes for Tomorrow Project. Then it was just Shoes for Tomorrow. Then that didn't fit on the label, so I just named it TOMS. You buy a pair today, we give a pair away tomorrow. And collectively, everyone who buys a pair, everyone who works here, everyone who's an intern, we all are TOMS. So that's who TOM is. --Blake Mycoskie from an interview on Tree Hugger Radio.
P.S. In case you are deciding what to get me for Valentine's Day, these Alessandra ballets would be awesome. Size 7 1/2, m-kay? Thanks.
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