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In short
Toms Shoes is an online shoe store that sells casual slip-ons modeled after Argentine alpargatas. Its selling concept is the "two pairs of shoes for the price of one". One pair goes to the buyers, one pair is donated to a disadvantaged child of South America.
The origins of the company
Toms' founder Blake Mycoskie, a 30-year-old designer from California, discovered the alpargata when he was living on a polo ranch in Argentina. Farmers used to wear them because they're lightweight, comfortable, and inexpensive. Mycoskie bought a pair of them and just loved them.
The shoe
Two models of shoesToms is brand named after the Shoes for Tomorrow, a program that intends to provide shoes for all kids in South America. And the company closely follows those principles. Based in Argentina, its manufacturing process closely follows the guidelines of fair labor practices. "If we're going to have a company that's geared toward helping people, we don't want to hurt one person to help another", said Toms' founder Blake Mycoskie in an interview.
Toms shoes come in only one unisex canvas. They are available in 18 colors and patterns, do have different drawings and motifs. The shoes are made of materials which respect the environment. Actress Sienna Miller is said to be fond of the shoes, so does Karl Lagerfeld.
For the Toms that go to charity, sturdier "leather flex" is substituted for the leather insole. So they would last longer, Mycoskie affirms.
The philanthropic mission
For each pair of Toms purchased, a pair is given to a child in need. The first shoe drop was about 200 pairs in a village called Los Pilatones, close to Buenos Aires. The next one will be about 10,000 pairs in various places.