The Toms trend
SPEAKS OUT
UCLA students discuss their thoughts on the current popularity of TOMS shoes … fashion-forward or too flimsy for the hills of campus?
Davey Kim
Second-year sociology student
"(TOMS are) really simple, and, in fact, they're really comfortable. Anyone who has worn TOMS knows that they start to smell, but if you clean them, you'll be good."
Riza Kumar
Third-year women's studies student
"(TOMS) are really durable. You can walk up to class and up all these hills and stairs really comfortably. They kind of fall apart quickly because I wear them so much."
Dasha Johnson
Third-year English student
"I like that they are flat. … I like to walk around barefoot but I can't do that. So I like that they are flat and are really close to the ground. … They're a little expensive but they're worth it."
By Brittany Taylor
Sept. 30, 2010 12:18 a.m.
Correction: The original version of this article published on September 30 contained an error. Bruce Leewiwatanakul is currently a TOMS correspondent for UCLA.
Sydney Van Horn, a third-year communications student, wears TOMS shoes everyday. Because of her affinity for the shoes, she has developed a “TOMS tan.”
While the shoe is a popular fashion trend, the real story behind the shoe began with a trip that TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie took to Argentina in 2006.
According to TOMS’ mission statement, the shoe company was started after Mycoskie witnessed children in Argentina without shoes to protect their feet, thus making them more susceptible to soil-transmitted diseases.
The TOMS “One for One” movement states that for every one pair that is purchased, another pair will go to a child in need.
Volunteers from various colleges spread news of the shoes to their campuses by word of mouth ““ the popularity of the shoes soon followed.
“They don’t have a specific guideline of what you have to do.
It’s more of kind of helping spread the word. You don’t have to own a pair of TOMS to volunteer. We don’t get any perks for it,” said Bruce Leewiwatanakul, a fourth-year biochemistry student and TOMS correspondent for UCLA.
According to Leewiwatanakul, the shoe design is based off of an Argentinean design that has been around for more than 100 years.
Once retailers discovered their popularity, they began to order the shoes for their stores. The shoes have since made it into many small shoe retailers as well as larger ones such as Nordstrom.
The shoe prices range from the $44 classics to the $98 wrap boots. Some may find these prices to be very expensive, but Van Horn said she believes there is a good reason behind the price.
“I think a lot of people spend $50-$60 on one pair of shoes, and you’re paying $50 for two pairs of shoes; one is for a child. So if you look at it that way, a $25 pair of shoes that I’m in love with is completely reasonable,” Van Horn said.
Patrick Presley, a shoe manager at Fred Segal Fun, said he has seen many customers come in seeking the shoes.
“It’s hip, yet at the same time we have an older following that loves them. And people love their business motto, and if anything, it only helps sell the shoe,” Presley said.
The shoes come in many colors and designs, including silver and gold TOMS made specifically for special events such as weddings.
Presley said that he believes the various colors and styles make it easier to wear the shoes and keep customers buying them in different colors, just as they would buy a T-shirt.
The women and men’s designs consist of the classic, cordones, botas, cords and vegan styles. In addition to the glitter styles, wedges and wrap boots are also included in the women’s collection.
“I can see (the shoes with) a shirt and a pair of jeans. I think they go best with everything,” said Van Horn.
Van Horn said that she owns six pairs, consisting of five classic pairs and one pair of wedges.
Her favorite pair are natural canvas classics embellished with a design of African trees. She bought them at a TOMS Give event where artists came to custom-design the shoes purchased at the event.
According to Leewiwatanakul, the shoes should be worn primarily for leisure rather than extensive wear, as the burlap material used for many of the shoes wears over time.
“Slowly, my first pair is starting to deteriorate, but it’s two years later of constant wear. For the most part, they stay intact pretty well,” Van Horn said.
While the shoes’ comfort and fashionable appeal make them popular, it is the combination of their style and nonprofit mission that distinguish them from other shoe companies.
“It’s one of those brands that kind of branched out and crossed boundaries where other shoes haven’t,” Presley said.
