TOMS Shoes was launched in Venice, California in 2006 by Blake Mycoskie, who is only 32 years old. Blake built up the company with $300,000 of his own money and TOMS sold 10,000 pairs during its first year in business. He visited Argentina through the race and liking the country returned on vacation. During the trip Blake witnessed children living in extreme poverty, with no shoes to protect their feet. That’s why he got the idea to establish TOMS Shoes. TOMS Shoes has a variety of shoes based on the traditional Argentine alpargataa slip-on—in lightweight fabrics and vibrant colors and prints for women and men. The range of customers for the company is not restricted. Mycoskie gives a promise which says: ” For every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS Shoes gives a pair of shoes to a child in need.” Since its launch, the revenues of TOMS Shoes are estimated $4.6 million and Mycoskie has donated over 115,000 shoes to children in need around the world through a series of “Shoe Drop” tours. The recipient of the People’s Design Award from the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and the Smithsonian Institution, TOMS has expanded to include a line of t-shirts, hats, and infant onesies.

 Blake Mycoskie is an American traveller and social entrepreneur. To learn more why he is a social entrepreneur, see next post please.