Best Fashion Shoes

When Toms—a company that, for every pair of shoes you buy, gives a pair to someone in the developing world—was founded in 2006, shoe hoarders rejoiced: A robust collection of kicks was no longer reason for your friends to compare you to a certain Filipina dictator—oh, no! A pile of Toms canvas sneakers and wedge heels actually  added  to your do-gooder cred. According to its  website , by September 2010 Toms had given away more than a million shoes. Toms has since expanded; in addition to shoes it now sells glasses under the same model. Toms isn't the only company founded on the "buy one, give one" model of business. For every watch you buy through  WeWood , a tree is planted.  Smile Squared  sells and donates toothbrushes. So do these companies work? I asked a few aid experts to weigh in. Greg Adams, an expert on aid effectiveness with Oxfam, told me that any sort of in-kind donation—whether it's through a buy-one-give-one program or not—can be ...

(Kwaku Alston/TOMS) H ere they are, smiling and crying, the words catching in their throats as they place tiny shoes to the feet of tiny children. Seven strangers, the  YouTube video  tells us—a recycling truck driver, a retired nurse, a special education teacher, a college student—all astonished to be invited on a special mission: to deliver free pairs of TOMS shoes to needy children in Honduras. If you’re unfamiliar with TOMS, here’s the backstory: When he founded TOMS in 2006, Blake Mycoskie pledged to give away one pair of shoes for every one he sold. The results make for strong emotions and good theater. The American head of the Honduran orphanage tells the promotional video’s viewers: “TOMS givers,  you did amazing!  We just put ninety-three pairs of shoes on children’s feet!”   Jackie, a student and part time waitress, strapping a pair of shoes onto a child, says: “My first shoe give was this little boy … there was a language barrier but the conn...

National fashion brands continue their eastward quest through the gold coast of Little Italy. Side by side with the “it-costs-a-month’s-rent- to-shop” indie boutiques. The latest to snatch up valuable retail property here is  TOMS . It appears the slip-on shoe brand recently signed a lease at 264 Elizabeth Street. This is a first for TOMS in the New York City market. Its gear – shoes and eyewear – was previously available solely online and via other established retailers. The Elizabeth Street store is therefore a flagship. It’ll be the third nationwide store for the brand, behind Venice, California and Austin. If these other locations are any indication, expect a cafe component as well. TOMS was founded in 2006. It operates a one-for-one model, meaning for every shoe sold, a fresh pair is donated to a person in need. Warby Parker has a similar arrangement, as well. The recent history at 264 Elizabeth is marked by a jump from restaurant to retail. Jo’s opened in 2009 but c...

Just about every twenty-something knows the name. You can spot TOMS shoes on college campuses across the country, often sported by young, socially minded students. The founding idea, a buy-one-give-one promise, captures the hearts of that young idealistic demographic quite well, satisfying its two greatest cravings simultaneously– one, the desire to feel a part of change (preferably without trying very hard), and two, the desire to, well… look cool. So successful has the company been that it recently sold its two millionth pair, making it at least a 100 million dollar enterprise. I’ll admit it. I too once donned a pair of grey TOMS cordones every morning, and felt rather smug as I slipped my toes into the little cloth shoe, imaging my improvised counterpart in some distant, developing nation doing the same. However it has become clear as of late that while the company can certainly craft a stylish shoe, their proficiency in the aid realm is a bit lacking. Actually, to speak fra...

In response, many businesses have changed their practices to be — or at least appear to be — more connected to social causes.  Some companies give a percent of their profits to charity. Others host lavish philanthropic galas.  More recently, some companies have begun adopting a charity model known as “buy one give one” (B1G1). Collection of The Author A worker at the Ras Dashen shoe factory in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, sewed TOMS shoes for donation. Toms is probably the largest and best known of the B1G1 companies.  For every pair of shoes someone buys, a second pair is donated to a child in need.  The eyewear company Warby Parker employs a similar model.  Every time it sells a pair of glasses, it sends money for another pair to a social enterprise that then sells them in poor countries. Established brands like  Ikea have tested the model, as have nonprofits like  One Laptop Per Child  and a growing number of start-up companies — including ones...