fashion gives back: toms shoes & a giveaway!
Today on twitter, I joined in the chorus of excitement over the Christian Louboutin sample sale at chic boutique Gilt.com. We were giddy over the possibility of owning the impossibly priced shoe sported on fashionable A-listers and style arbiters. The red sole is covetable, and many of us deliberated styles, colors, and price-points. And an hour ago I received news about TOMS Shoes, and I had to laugh at the irony. The email, about a promotional partnership between TOMS and Facebook put me to thinking about a Today show appearance two years ago, where a scruffy-haired, effusive Blake Mycoskie recounted his travels to Argentina, and the heartbreak he experienced when he saw children getting cuts and sores from unsafe roads and contaminated soil, just to acquire basic human needs: food, shelter, and medical attention. And although we’re privileged to have many pairs of shoes, imagine walking miles for food, barefoot, risking disease and possible amputation. We’re lucky that this is not our lot. Mycoskie was fervent in his passion to provide shoes to children in need, and his passion became the impetus for launching TOMS Shoes. For those of whom are unfamiliar with the brand, TOMS is cause-based company that gives one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair of shoes purchased (One for One). As of this year, TOMS has given over 140,000 pairs of shoes to poverty-stricken children in South America, Africa and even here in the United States.
In an environment where many are consumed (and justifiably so) with their own economic plight and CEOs are flying high with their golden parachutes, it’s courageous to witness virtuous companies and leaders focused on making a difference. I implore you to check out TOMS Shoes, snag a comfy summer shoe, and learn more about their campaign with Facebook.
And if that weren’t fabulous enough, I’m offering one of my readers a FREE pair of TOMS Shoes via a gift card. Simply fill out the contest form below, and you’ll automatically be entered to win! Contest ends 4/15/09, 4:25 EST.
UPDATE: Congrats, superblondgirl! You’re the winner!
