Shoes + Love = TOMS

Every once in a while a giving-back story comes along that’s so cool, innovative, and cockles-of-the-heart warming, that ya just gotta say, “Now that’s how it’s done.”

Founder, president, and Chief Shoegiver of TOMS Shoes, Blake Mycoskie

You’ve probably seen the TV commercial for AT&T featuring Blake Mycoskie describing the necessity of reliable cell phone service for running his company, TOMS Shoes, which donates one pair of shoes for each one sold. Speaking of which, we may as well clear something up right off the bat: his name is not Tom, it’s Blake. TOMS is Mycoskie’s derivation of “shoes for tomorrow,” meaning “we sell a pair today, we give one away tomorrow.” Back to our story… 

A former contestant on CBS’ The Amazing Race, (placing third with sis Paige), Mycoskie was vacationing in Argentina in 2006 when he met a group of social workers there to do a shoe drive. Mycoskie volunteered to tag along during the last week of his holiday, and was life-alteringly taken with the kids in the village who were in desperate need of good shoes, evidenced by the cuts, sores, and scabs from walking barefoot every day for miles. He then thought about the “it” shoe of the moment in Argentina, the rope-soled, slip-on, canvas alpargata. (Think no-lace espadrille). Mycoskie’s entrepreneurial brain began its natural brew, bubble, and churn process to devise a way to address the situation. Based on the One for One business model–sell one, give one away–TOMS Shoes was born. Check out this video of the Chief Shoegiver himself recounting how it all went down:

So why did the Southern Methodist University dropout decide to start a for-profit business instead of a full-fledged charity? Because he wanted something that would be sustainable; something for which he wouldn’t have to rely upon donations from others. Something that could allow the company to make the donations itself instead of depending on donors who may not be able to do so for whatever reason. (Case in point, the crappy economy took a tragic toll on charitable donations this year, yet TOMS continues to thrive. Woo-hoo!)

The thirty-two-year-old serial entrepreneur–TOMS is something like the fifth company Mycoskie has created–has been featured in everything from the L.A. Times to Huffington Post to Vogue. Not only was he invited to sit on a panel at this year’s Clinton Global Initiative Meeting, Mycoskie was introduced by the former president as “one of the most interesting entrepreneurs I’ve ever met.” Embraced by everyone from bohemians to fashionistas, TOMS Shoes now collaborates with retail giants such as Ralph Lauren (for their rugby line) and Whole Foods (eco-friendly footwear).  

Having now given away over 150,000 pairs of shoes in Argentina, South Africa, and Ethiopia, TOMS is on a runaway train to touching lives all over the world. Check out this video of the company’s first-ever shoe drop to Argentina:

So how are they able to turn a profit without advertising? Simple, according to Mycoskie, who declares that everyone who sports a pair of TOMS becomes something of a marketer for the company. TOMS-wearers now have “the story” and are eager to pass it on. Hence, no million-dollar Super Bowl ads are on the horizon, funneling a would-be advertising budget into manufacturing more shoes to give away. (Shoes which, we should point out, are all brand new and correctly sized for the kids, as opposed to previously-loved, four sizes too big hand-me-downs).

Tiny TOMS

In case you’re imagining Mycoskie to live in a splurgiferous Beverly Hills mansion, think again. Although he does live in L.A., it’s hardly a mansion. Nor is it a house. Rather, the St. Nick of shoes makes his home on a boat. “I live a very simple life,” says the low-key, high-energy shoe dude. “After starting TOMS and traveling all over the world and seeing the environments that people are living in, I realized that you don’t need much to be happy. Some of the happiest people I’ve ever met live out in the jungle, in rural Argentina and South Africa. And so it’s really caused me to want to simplify my life. I have a very nice boat but it’s a boat and it’s small and it’s simple and I don’t keep many things on it.”

Mycoskie also notes that when you make a TOMS purchase, you’re not just buying shoes–you’re joining a movement. This highlights one of the supreme genius angles of TOMS: the community factor, which makes it ridiculously easy to help someone. The consumer gets something cool, and a child in need somewhere gets something even cooler. Rock on, TOMS!

Check out the TOMS website for shoes, t-shirts and other awesome goodies:  www.tomshoes.com