My TOMS
I am a big fan of TOMS shoes. History- In 2006, TOMS founder, Blake Mycoskie (Not Tom), travelled to Argentina. Upon realizing many of the children had no shoes, he founded TOMS. For every pair of shoes they sell, TOMS gives a pair to a child in need. It’s called One for One. Originally you could only buy TOMS online, but many shoe stores now carry them as well. I love the concept. I buy a pair of shoes for myself and am socially responsible by providing a child in need with a pair of shoes. TOMS is now doing the same with eyewear. You can purchase a pair of sunglasses and provide a child with a pair of prescription glasses or sight saving surgery.
A strange trend is happening, however. Other companies are attempting to exploit this TOMS. TOMS shoes are based on a traditional Argentine style known as an alpargata. After the shoes became famous, other shoe companies started producing alpargata style shoes. Sketchers even came up in a shoe in 2010 called BOBS. They also contribute a shoe for every shoe sold, but since the shoe is an exact knock-off of TOMS, they have received mixed criticism. There are other shoe companies making shoes that look very similar to TOMS all the way down to the tag on the side These companies, however, are not providing shoes to children in need. There are also illegal companies making fake TOMS. I find it sad that the whole purpose of TOMS is to help children in need and yet companies want to use the same concept to make money for themselves.
What if TOMS wasn’t TOMS? Let’s assume that Blake wanted to create a shoe company, but didn’t want to use an original idea. He didn’t develop the concept of giving a shoe away for every shoe sold and he didn’t develop a unique shoe. He just made a Converse knock off and kept all the profits for himself. Where would he be today? How many children would still not have shoes? Blake decided not to do what everyone else was doing. As of September 2010, 1,000,000 new pairs of shoes were given to children in need. That is the type of thing that can happen when you aspire to fulfill your purpose in life.
Too many of us, myself included, try to be someone else. We want to be Ryan Reynolds or Blake Lively. (Ok, I borrowed from the Green Lantern, but you get the point.) We try to be someone else, like BOBS trying to be TOMS. We all have a purpose in life and we are all important. Stop comparing yourself to everyone else and be who you were created to be. - Tim
To learn more about TOMS, check out their website. http://www.toms.com/
Congratulations to Alissa Sanderson for providing an answer to the question: Where does the name TOMS come from.
The answer: It's an ancronym for "Shoes for a Better Tomorrow." Translation TOMorrow's Shoes - TOMS.
A strange trend is happening, however. Other companies are attempting to exploit this TOMS. TOMS shoes are based on a traditional Argentine style known as an alpargata. After the shoes became famous, other shoe companies started producing alpargata style shoes. Sketchers even came up in a shoe in 2010 called BOBS. They also contribute a shoe for every shoe sold, but since the shoe is an exact knock-off of TOMS, they have received mixed criticism. There are other shoe companies making shoes that look very similar to TOMS all the way down to the tag on the side These companies, however, are not providing shoes to children in need. There are also illegal companies making fake TOMS. I find it sad that the whole purpose of TOMS is to help children in need and yet companies want to use the same concept to make money for themselves.
What if TOMS wasn’t TOMS? Let’s assume that Blake wanted to create a shoe company, but didn’t want to use an original idea. He didn’t develop the concept of giving a shoe away for every shoe sold and he didn’t develop a unique shoe. He just made a Converse knock off and kept all the profits for himself. Where would he be today? How many children would still not have shoes? Blake decided not to do what everyone else was doing. As of September 2010, 1,000,000 new pairs of shoes were given to children in need. That is the type of thing that can happen when you aspire to fulfill your purpose in life.
Too many of us, myself included, try to be someone else. We want to be Ryan Reynolds or Blake Lively. (Ok, I borrowed from the Green Lantern, but you get the point.) We try to be someone else, like BOBS trying to be TOMS. We all have a purpose in life and we are all important. Stop comparing yourself to everyone else and be who you were created to be. - Tim
To learn more about TOMS, check out their website. http://www.toms.com/
Congratulations to Alissa Sanderson for providing an answer to the question: Where does the name TOMS come from.
The answer: It's an ancronym for "Shoes for a Better Tomorrow." Translation TOMorrow's Shoes - TOMS.
RSS Feed