Blake Mycoskie started TOMS shoes in 2006 with the "One for One" model, pledging to donate a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair sold. Over 1 million children have received shoes through TOMS shoe drops in 28 countries. TOMS has expanded beyond shoes to also provide eye care. Through viral marketing campaigns, celebrity endorsements, and stylish yet affordable shoes, TOMS promotes its mission while becoming a profitable company.

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Ashley Olson
Ms. Tillery
AP Lit
18 November 2011
TOMS Shoes
The number one can have many meanings. One can signify unity. One can signify
primacy. One can signify independence. One can symbolize eternal peace, the universe, even
God. The number one is pretty momentous. Blake Mycoskie knew the importance of the number
one. Mycoskie formulated the One for One movement. Simply put, for every pair of shoes Blake
Mycoskie sold, he vowed to give a pair to a child in need. This idea is the TOMS movement. The
number one in this case means saving the lives of children all over the world, one pair of shoes at
a time.
First, the children living in a world where diseases run rampant and school is only for
children who own shoes are not living their lives. Those children are surviving their lives. “Over
300 million children worldwide are without shoes” (“Just the Facts”). In American society, the
majority of people do not like to consider hard facts. Americans tend to live with an out of sight,
out of mind attitude, while seven-year-olds in Argentina and Ethiopia are forced to go to work
because they are not allowed in school without shoes. Hookworm, parasitic viruses, and even
some cancers can be prevented by wearing shoes (“shoes4schools”). Children are constantly
attacked by parasitic organisms which cause vomiting, fever, rashes, blood loss, lasting effects to
vital organs and even death. While children in the United States whine about their shoes,
children in Africa beg for shoes. What is a nuisance in one country is a blessing in another.

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Although few realize the state of the world outside of their golf clubs and nail salons, one man
did; one man made a huge difference.
That man is Blake Mycoskie. Blake Mycoskie and his sister were on a reality television
show that first led him to Argentina, the birthplace of TOMS (Moxley). After the show ended--
Mycoskie and his sister in third place—Blake was led back to Argentina in 2006 where he had
the epiphany to start TOMS Shoes (Shambora). While in Argentina, Mycoskie made friends with
villagers, many of them children without shoes. He was disturbed by the cuts and scrapes these
children endured on their everyday walks to school or to get water for their family. Mycoskie
knew by his sense of unease that he needed to find a way to help the children in the village he
visited. His original plan was to sell 200 shoes, enough to help every child in the village. Blake
Mycoskie did not expect the TOMS Company to explode, selling over one million pairs of shoes
as of September 2011 (“TOMS Shoes Unveils One for One Eyewear”).
With the million pairs of shoes sold, a million pairs have been given away through shoe
drops. Shoe drops consist of 10 to 15 people, including Blake Mycoskie himself, traveling to a
country drowning in poverty to hand deliver shoes to children (Schweitzer). TOMS delivers
shoes to 28 countries, including Guatemala, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Argentina, to name a
few (Schweitzer). The TOMS Company partners with many local nonprofit organizations that
specialize in public health. These groups and organizations help give Blake an idea of what the
children in that specific area need, including shoe sizes. Shoe drops are only possible with the
help of partnering organizations and with the purchase of TOMS shoes, of course.
In the five years since the TOMS Company was founded, over one million children have
received shoes, thus prolonging their lives. Blake Mycoskie lives and breaths for his company,
spending as little as five to six days a month in his home—his sailboat—in Los Angeles,

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California (Schweitzer). The TOMS Company, based out of Los Angeles, employed 72 people
(not including periodic interns) as of 2010 (Schweitzer). Blake spends much of his time
answering emails—sometimes up to 300—when he travels and keeps in touch with all of his
employees to the best of his abilities (Schweitzer). Blake Mycoskie travels the majority of the
time, so when he is home, he holds quick, focused meetings addressing the company as a whole
(Schweitzer). Mycoskie enjoys sharing his adventures with his employees through email, phone
calls, and these large meetings. The One for One movement has inspired people all over the
world, especially here in the United States. However, this company did not grow over night. The
One for One movement has been spread through many different marketing techniques.
One of the most influential marketing techniques is word of mouth. TOMS shoes have
created multiple events in order to spark conversation and get people asking about the One for
One movement. One of these events is “One Day Without Shoes.” One Day Without Shoes is a
day in which TOMS encourages supporters to go without shoes for one day as an effort to spark
conversation and spread the message of the One for One Movement (“One Day Without Shoes”).
People all over the United States participate in marches, carry signs and wear t-shirts one day
every year in April to show their support of TOMS shoes (Stevens). Another way TOMS gains
popularity is through campus clubs. Campus clubs are clubs at high schools and colleges
nationwide in which kids help spread the word by creating posters and talking to their friends,
teachers, and professors. Another way TOMS spreads its message is through “Style your Sole”
parties. At style your sole parties, supporters get together with their friends and decorate a pair of
TOMS. This technique encourages individualism and creativity while still supporting the
movement.

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The TOMS Company has great support from loyal customers because it is so charitable.
TOMS tells a story, a story that customers are proud to be a part of and share. The TOMS
Company gives a sense of unity and motivation, for employees and customers both. Employees
of TOMS are not just working to get a paycheck, they are also working to save lives and make a
difference in the world. It is for this reason that TOMS shoes are easily promoted through word
of mouth, that and the undeniably fashionable appearance of the shoes themselves.
The fact that TOMS shoes are trendy and comfortable while still being charitable makes
it easy for almost anyone to promote them. TOMS shoes come in a variety of styles and designs
for men, women, and children. Many celebrities have been seen wearing TOMS shoes, including
Julia Roberts, Jason Mraz, and Britney Spears (“TOMS Shoes”). The fact that celebrities are
wearing TOMS shoes helps gain popularity for the movement, as well as proves that TOMS
shoes are stylish and hip. One of Blake Mycoskie’s favorite parts of the TOMS Company is the
design and fashion portion of the business (Mycoskie). Inspiration for TOMS shoes comes from
fashion icons as well as magazines and everyday influences (Mycoskie). TOMS shoes come in
classic styles as well as boots, cordones, wedges, and glitters for women and classic, cordones,
boots, and stitchouts for men. The price of TOMS shoes range from $45 to $85 a pair. TOMS
shoes have been worn in and to weddings, proms, and graduations. TOMS are appropriate for
any number of occasions. This variety of styles makes it easy for anyone to find a pair of shoes
he or she likes. TOMS shoes get the shape from the classic Argentine farmer style shoe that has
been familiar to that area for centuries. With the huge success of the One for One movement with
shoes, Blake Mycoskie decided to extend the idea.
The One for One movement has now been applied to sunglasses. For every pair of
sunglasses bought, TOMS will give a person the gift of sight through correctional glasses,

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cataract surgery, or medical treatment (“TOMS Shoes Unveils One for One Eyewear”). People in
developing countries do not always have enough money or resources to get something as simple
as a pair of glasses. The idea of giving sight to the blind is inspiring and truly amazing. Blake
Mycoskie’s newest addition to the TOMS Company has completely focused the idea on the great
needs of the world. TOMS shoes and everything the company has become is not only a fashion
icon, but one of the most charitable organizations in the world.
All in all, TOMS shoes have made a huge impact on the world today. Children all over
the world suffer every single day from disease, injury, and a lack of proper education for one
simple reason: a lack of shoes. The status and lives of millions of children can be changed
forever if the TOMS Company continues to gain support and spreads the One for One
movement. American society has a tendency to turn the blind eye and to ignore anything
unpleasant. These children can be ignored no longer. Children in developing countries need help
because they cannot better themselves on their own. TOMS shoes have now expanded to
sunglasses, and the future is very bright. With avid believers, including Blake Mycoskie and the
rest of the TOMS staff, as well as campus clubs, the shoeless children of the world will be able
to start living their lives without a worry or care. TOMS is a company that deserves support and
pride because it is making a difference, one pair of shoes at a time.

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Works Cited
“Just the Facts Why Your Shoe Donations are Important.” Shoes4Souls.org. The A Group, 2011. Web. 10
Nov. 2011. <http://www.soles4souls.org/get_involved/why_shoes.html>.
Moxley, Tonia. “Shoe giver shares mission of service: Blake Mycoskie, whose company has donated
400,000 pairs of shoes to the poor, gave the keynote address for Radford University’s centennial
Charter Day.” The Roanoke Times [Radford] 25 Mar. 2010: n. pag. Student Research Center.
Web. 17 Oct. 2011. <http://search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=nfh&AN=2W63536269198&site=src-live.>.
Mycoskie, Blake. “Blake Mycoskie.” Texas Monthly Sept. 2008: n. pag. Student Research Center. Web. 17
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One Day Without Shoes. TOMS shoes, 2011. Web. 10 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.onedaywithoutshoes.com/>.
Schweitzer, Tamara. “’I’m so used to traveling that I can sleep anywhere.’” Inc. June 2010: n. pag.
EBSCOhost. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/
detail?vid=3&hid=112&sid=a4cf4504-fded-41c1-aed4-
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Shambora, Jessica. “Blake Mycoskie, Founder of TOMS Shoes.” Fortune 22 Mar. 2010: n. pag. Student
Research Center. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. <http://search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=48493454&site=src-live.>.

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Stevens, Alyssa. “A Day Without Shoes.” Rev. of TOMS shoes: Would you go barefoot for a good cause?
Christian Science Monitor. N.p., 5 Apr. 2011. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com/
ehost/detail?vid=5&hid=112&sid=a4cf4504-fded-41c1-aed4-
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9780625>.
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“Why it is Extremely Important to get Shoes to Africa...” Shoes4Schools WordPress.com. N.p., 28 Dec.
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extremely-important-to-get-shoes-to-africa/>.