TOMS Shoes stands for "Tomorrow's Shoes." Many think this is just some trendy shoe that is just popular for right now and (like every other style) will just fade away in 5-10 years. I beg to differ. This shoe company was started by Blake Mycoskie in 2006. On his trip to Argentina, he found that all the kids had no shoes to protect their feet from the rough soil. Seeing this made Blake want to help, so he decided to start a shoe company (TOMS) that would match every shoe purchased and go to the children in Argentina. The slogan, "One for One" soon came about and on his first trip back to Argentina, Blake brought 10,000 new pairs of shoes!
You may wonder, "Why Shoes? Why not food or shelter?" Although those things are important, no one really understands the importance of shoes. Many schools in developing countries do not allow a student to be barefoot in their school, so with no shoes, there's no education. Also a leading cause in disease is soil-transmitted, and with no shoes, the disease can penetrate through bare skin. And of course there is the obvious reason; without shoes, feet are easily cut and without protection, they become dangerously infected. Shoes are an essential part of living. Blake Mycoskie understood that and did something about it, creating a brand that changes the world; TOMS.
I "connect" with this brand because it actually puts my money to a good cause. Often times I can spend too much money on clothes, shoes and even food without thinking twice about where exactly it's going. With a purchase of TOMS, i don't feel guilty about blowing $50-60 in one day because I know that I'm helping kids who need shoes way more than I do.
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