Toms Shoes make it a Christmas to remember in Argentina

Ethical fashion brand, Toms Shoes has given away it's millionth pair of shoes in Argentina and Marie Claire was lucky enough to be there.

Toms Shoes - Features news, Marie Claire
Toms Shoes - Features news, Marie Claire
(Image credit: Kwaku Alston and Darren Yokota)

Ethical fashion brand, Toms Shoes has given away it's millionth pair of shoes in Argentina and Marie Claire was lucky enough to be there.

From A-list celebrity wearers to poverty stricken school children, one size fits all when it comes to Toms Shoes.

The ethical fashion brand, founded four years ago by L.A entrepreneur, Blake Mycoskie, 34 has just given away its millionth pair of shoes in a bid to make a difference to the lives of poverty stricken children around the world. And Marie Claire was invited along to witness it first hand.

On a momentous trip to Argentina, Marie Claire’s Features Director, Andrea Thompson, joined Blake and a team of volunteers to distribute shoes to bare-footed children across the North East of the country.

Toms Shoes - Features news, Marie Claire

Toms Shoes is based on a simple philosophy, for every pair of shoes it sells on the high street, it gives away a pair to a child in need.

‘When I arrived in Buenos Aires four years ago, I was shocked by the level of poverty I saw and the number of children running around barefoot. I wanted to do something to help,” says Blake. “Four years on we sell our shoes all over America and Europe and distribute free shoes to kids everywhere from South America and Haiti to Ethiopia. Coming back to Argentina was really special.’

Argentina may conjure up romantic images of tango clubs and polo matches but over a quarter of the population live in poverty here with a shocking one in ten surviving on less than a dollar a day.

Typically a child might share one pair of shoes with several siblings meaning their tiny feet are usually calloused and rough by the tender age of five or their toes twisted and bent from wearing ill-fitting shoes.

‘For people all over the world, no matter what their economic level, a pair of shoes gives a sense of pride and represents opportunity and self worth,’ says Blake, pictured below with a handful of the children he has helped.

Toms Shoes - Features news, Marie Claire

But the feel-good factor runs both ways, as shoe-drop co-ordinator Amy Carol Wolff explains: ‘Measuring up a child’s foot, personally fitting them with their first pair of shoes, and then watching them run away knowing that you have made a tangible difference to their lives is also very rewarding for volunteers.’

Toms Shoes has now become something of a movement rather than a business and with a host of designers on board the brand has acquired an array of celebrity fans from Demi Moore to Keira Knightly. Even Bill Clinton has a pair.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO FROM ARGENTINA

Read more about the inspirational trip now in the December issue of Marie Claire on sale today.

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Editor in Chief

Andrea Thompson is Editor in Chief at Marie Claire UK and was named by We are the City as one of the UKs top 50 trailblazers for her work championing gender equality.

Andrea has worked as a senior journalist for a range of publications over her 20 year career including The Sunday Times, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, Channel 4, Glamour and Grazia. At Marie Claire UK, Andrea oversees content, strategy and campaigns across fashion, beauty and the brand's purpose pillars. Her weekly newsletter and column Andreas It List showcases her curated edit of the very best in fashion and beauty. Andrea is a keen advocate of women's empowerment, sustainability and diversity and is a regular speaker at events on these themes. She sits on the committee of the British Society of Magazine Editors where she acts as Vice Chair and looks after Diversity and Inclusion and regularly mentors young women from under represented communities trying to break into the media industry. Follow her on instagram at @andreacanwrite