TOMS: One for One

   You can kick your stilettos to the curb because fashion just got a bit more charitable. They've been around for a few years now, and I've been rocking them for a little over a year, but TOMS are really making a new for themselves now. With every pair purchased, a child living in poverty is given a pair of shoes. As a proud owner of two pairs, there's nothing I love about my TOMS more than the love and charity behind the shoe. As just a basic, slip on shoe, they come in many styles and designs and are also a king of comfort.

   In 2006, Blake Mycoskie founded TOMS shoes, inspired by a trip to Argentina when he witness extreme poverty and poor health conditions. But the one thing that caught his eye was children wandering the third world roads without any shoes on their feet. Mycoskie turned to the traditional Argentine alpargata shoe as a solution to the shoeless childrens' problem. He quickly set out to reinvent the alpargata for marketing in the United States. His objective for the project was to show how together, we can create a better tomorrow by taking compassionate action today.

   To set out his goals, Blake Mycoskie made a promise to match every pair of TOMS shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes 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."

   A stylish shoe with an inspiring story behind it- this just screams fashion to me. Not only is it a trending item, but it's helping those less fortunate and that's the beauty of TOMS. To everyone that has a pair, you didn't only give a child a pair of shoes, but you gave them a smile and a reason to run like the wind. Join the TOMS movement. 

Charity never goes out of style.

xx, ZM