blake was here.

:: the founder of TOMS blake mycoskie came to my school today. it was epic. i love my TOMS and i love what the company stands for. for every pair of shoes they sell they give one to a child in need.

:: i go my first pair of TOMS four years ago after meeting one of Blake's original interns. i fell in love...

:: so here's the story: blake just finished an intense work project and needed some time away so he went to argentina. while he was there he met some people doing a shoe drive. this inspired him to be a part of global issue. shoes are one of the biggest needs of children in the world. 40% of the world's population does not own a single pair of shoes. without shoes a child cannot go to school and thus, cannot realize their potential. while blake was in argentina he decided he was going to start a project where he would sell shoes. for every shoe he sold he would give one to a child in argentina. he came back to the US with duffel bags full of shoes [250 pairs] made by a man in argentina he met on the street.

:: he showed them to a few girlfriends...i mean who better to ask about shoes, right? a few weeks later he sold 100 pairs to a local shop, that week he received a call from a fashion designer who wanted to write blake's story. blake had been discovered! the day the article was published 2200 pairs of TOMS sold by 2pm. there was only one problem: there were only about 75 pairs of the original batch left.
:: it took him a few months to figure everything out...he had no idea it was going to take off like this. but he did it and since has been featured in TIME magazine, Vogue, AT&T and other unbelievable places.

:: today over 1 million pairs of shoes have been given to children in need and the end is nowhere in sight!

:: i love TOMS. if you don't own a pair, buy a pair [or 2] today. give back. we all wear shoes so why not make your next purchase one that benefits our world.