Toms shoes
Do you approach the new with a spirit of curiosity and fascination or have you already judged it before knowing it?
This is what is written on the cup of milky tea I just made myself in my office. It has blown my mind. I would swear that this cup used to be snow-white and this bold message didn't exist. Where and when did it appear? I don't understand anything, but the damned cup has made me rewrite today's post. I'll tell you why.
On my last trip to New York, I didn't buy much, which both surprises and makes me proud in equal measure, but there are a couple of things I'm very glad I bought: my TOMS shoes. I discovered them at the Rugby by Ralph Lauren store, that temple of American casual wear where the Consort Count buys 75% of his clothes. At first, I thought they were just cool espadrilles made by our friend Ralph, but it turns out they're not; they are a special collaboration between the TOMS brand and the store in question.
Yes, we're so cheesy that we bought the same shoes in different colors. That's just how we are, and we're not ashamed to go out like Pili and Mili or Milli Vanilli. As we'd say in high school, for the record, he copied me.
This is where my spirit of curiosity and fascination with the new, as my cup would say, awakens. I loved the shoes because they are like our traditional espadrilles but made with more refined fabrics and with a couple of well-thought-out design touches that make them different. I like these things, but it pains me to see them abroad because I immediately wonder how it's possible that in Spain, the inventors of espadrilles in all their forms, we haven't thought of making them this beautiful. Just yesterday, I went to a Castañer store, the espadrille makers par excellence, to see if I had missed something and maybe we already had them. No way, we're still with the scratchy cotton and the same basic shape as 100 years ago, referring, of course, to the simplest espadrille; Castañer does wonders with women's espadrilles.
TOMS are made of thick satin, grosgrain, with seasonal prints, with elastic; there are countless varieties, and besides being beautiful, they are incredibly comfortable. I dread the moment in summer when the first scratch appears on my big toe after tripping on a curb, and with it, a tear of mine will fall into the sand, peré, peré, triquitraun. So far, as you can see, it's all pure curiosity and fascination.
Then I read the tag more carefully, and it says: “With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need” along with a picture of a guy putting a pair of shoes on a child, my little angel, who electively seems to need many things in this life. ZING! Suddenly my expression twists; here we go again with charity causes and fashion, here we go again with the blessed little photos, here we go again with the "of the €4,000 this beautiful pure gold and diamond bracelet costs, so-and-so will donate 5% of sales to such-and-such a cause," here we go again with the countless famous UNICEF ambassadors whom I still don't quite know what they're for, except to take super cute "no makeup" photos once a year...or are we judging again before knowing?
I've been browsing the web and it turns out that TOMS was founded by an Argentinean, Blake Mycoskie, in 2006. The business model from the beginning was based on the one-for-one principle: one pair bought, one pair given to a child. In the first year, Blake returned to Argentina to distribute 10,000 pairs of shoes with the help of his family, friends, and employees. So far, they have distributed more than 140,000 pairs in what they call “Shoe Drop Tours”, routes where they distribute shoes and to which any enthusiast of the idea can join. By the end of 2009, they plan to reach 300,000 pairs distributed.
It reminded me of a friend, a crazy wonderful Marquis photographer, who one Christmas decided to involve friends and family in a trip through the villages of the Sahara, distributing toys to children. He managed to recruit over two dozen people and several vans full of toys to distribute. Just him, his idea, and his determination.
I have always thought that truly innovative ideas capable of changing something come from individuals, not Committees. Perhaps TOMS is like my friend, perhaps not, I don't know. I can only assure you that the shoes are beautiful.
Hello beautiful foreigners who visit this blog even though its owner is often too lazy to translate,
I’m going to try to summarize in a few lines what I’m talking about in this post. It’s about a brand called TOMS shoes. I found it in my last trip to NY and loved its designs. It also happens to be a brand with a purpose since “for every pair you purchase, TOMS will give another pair to a child in need”. I don’t usually trust the alliance of charity and fashion, but in this case it seems to me this company really makes an effort to reach their commitment. You can find all the information in the links I provide. For the rest, what do you think about charitable fashion projects?