On this week’s blog, I’ll be talking about shoe brands that give to charity. Have you ever heard of a brand of shoes that gives a pair of shoes for every pair that you buy? It’s a great way to give back, but how can they afford to do this? Why doesn’t every brand do this? I think in our society and culture today, we hear of several different brands that give back in some way, from shoe companies to clothing companies to eyeglass companies. They give in all different ways: with their own products, monetary gifts, volunteer work. Giving back to our community has become an important factor that can make or break a company’s sales. I know from my own personal experience, when looking for companies to work for, a common question that is asked to recruiters is: how do you give back to the community? 95% of all the companies that I’ve come in contact with do some type of philanthropy. But how do you find out about which companies do and which companies don’t? Many companies promote it as a main benefit of buying from them or working for them, but it takes a bit more research to find the ones that keep their philanthropy efforts on the down low. No worries though, I’m doing the research for you! From a quick Google search, I was able to find several well-known shoe brands that are making an effort to give to people in need. Here are a few that I came across and their missions:
- TOMS
“With every TOMS purchase, you stand with us on issues that matter.” What a way to grab a customer, right? Everyone wants to be a part of something that matters. We all want to make a difference in the world somehow. Not only is TOMS noble in giving to people in need, they are also killing it in the marketing department. I know the automatic pop-up screen, asking you to choose how you wanted to give back instantly drew me in. So what is TOMS mission? One For One. They provide a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair of shoes that are bought. They even expanded their mission to eyewear in 2011, providing corrective lenses to those in need for every pair of glasses that are bought. It all began in 2006 with owner and founder, Blake Mycoskie, after traveling to Argentina and seeing children without adequate footwear. They’ve been able to give more than 35 million pairs of new shoes to children in need! Check out their website here.
2. ROMA
Similar to TOMS, ROMA gives a pair of boots to a child in need for every pair that are bought. Seriously, go check out their website because you’ll melt at the pictures of kids wearing their boots — ADORABLE! Again, well done marketing team. I had to have self-control when looking through these sites because these companies are so kind and I want to be a part of it, but also the shoes are CUTE. I might have to add a pair of ROMA boots to my closet, but then I’d have to write a new blog about rain boots (if you haven’t got a chance to read my blog about the best rain boots, go check that out here!) ROMA began about 10 years ago with a man named Samuel Bistrian. He eventually was able to turn his company into two entities: a for-profit and a not-for-profit. With this adaption, they were able to fulfill their original dream of giving shoes to those in need. Their tagline is “Giving Poverty the Boot” (I mean, c’mon, how clever!!) They’ve been able to give in 26 countries, over 6 different continents. Here’s their website!
3. Oliberte
So this next one I had never heard of, but I am very moved by their mission. They’re working to break the poverty cycle in Africa. I know… that’s BIG, right??? It takes guts to chase after a dream that big, but props to them for doing it! Oliberte is a company out of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. They began in 2009 as a very small footwear company and in 2012 launched their very first factory. They’re able to give people in Africa jobs to support their families. “We believe that with the right partners, each country within Africa has the means to grow and support its people.” Their model is quite different than TOMS and ROMA, but they’re still giving back in a tremendous way. If you’d like to check out their story, read it here.
4. Indosole
Another brand that I’ve never heard of, but yet another noble cause… Their mission is to prevent tires from polluting the environment. I’m not a huge environmentalist (I don’t hate the planet, chill… I try to take care of the planet when I can), but one of my best friends is ALL about taking care of our environment and I know this brand would totally impress her. Apparently 1.5 billion tires are being thrown away every year — dang! — AND in tropical countries, tires can collect in rivers and become breeding grounds for mosquitos. I thought that was crazy, but you learn something new every day. Another interesting fact: it takes tires thousands of years to decompose. So… if you couldn’t guess, they make shoes out of tires! It’s pretty cool. You should check it out here. They’re repurposing all those tires so they don’t take over our planet!!
5. Sole Rebels
The next brand that I came across was Sole Rebels. They combine several of the missions that the others work toward by providing jobs to people in need as well as work to prevent pollution by repurposing tires to create shoes. Like the brand Oliberte, they are also located in Ethiopia. Interestingly, they noted that “Africa needs far fewer charity brands and much more of its own powerful brands whose global equity it can leverage for its own good.” I thought this claim was unique because of the amount of poverty that exists in Africa — you’d think that charities would be vital, but I think they have a similar goal to Oliberte. They’re focus on giving jobs to the people of Ethiopia shows that they care about making a lasting impacting — breaking the poverty cycle in Africa, similar to Oliberte’s mission. They were founded in 2004 by Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu and have been working hard to make a difference since. Check out their sight here.
6. BANGS Shoes
“Your Adventure Helps Others Find Theirs.” Hannah Davis created this company after teaching English in China. She styled her shoes after the boots that the workers and farmers in China would wear. They support your “everyday adventures”. So how does this company give back to the community? Well, they take 20% of their net profits and help entrepreneurs around the world. I think that’s pretty stinking awesome. It’s not giving shoes to someone in need or stopping pollution, but they’re helping people’s dreams come true. And like I said earlier, some people really dream big and they make amazing things happen, so I love this idea. They’ve invested in over 2,000 entrepreneurs in 70 different countries. That’s a big impact. If you’d like to read more about Hannah’s business or watch her Ted Talk, check it out here.
7. Nisolo
Don’t worry folks, only a couple more to go… Nisolo is another brand that I came across as I researched shoe brands with big missions. They have noble aspirations, but they also just keep it simple. Their three main focuses are: intentional designs, ethical craftsmanship, and fair pricing. They work to protect the environment, treat workers with respect, and provide quality work. What else can you ask for? This would be another brand that my best friend would be super stoked about. I love their branding as well — it’s clean cut and chic. They have both men’s and women’s shoes. If I had a little extra cash to spend on a quality pair of shoes, I’d buy a pair of Nisolo shoes because of their vision. Go check out their website here.
8. BucketFeet
“Bucketfeet’s story began with the serendipitous meeting of two strangers traveling through Argentina.” These taglines just keep getting better and better. Wouldn’t you agree? Don’t you want to know more after reading that first line? Well, I sure did. BucketFeet is a shoe brand created by Raaja Nemani and Aaron Firestein who met while volunteering in Argentina. They both were living their best lives: Aaron an artist in Berkley, California and Raaja just backpacking around the world. How could their story get any cooler? It did! They freaking create custom shoes — just for the heck of it. Aaron had created a custom pair of shoes and gave them to Raaja as he traveled the world. This pair of shoes led to the making of their company in 2011. They claim to “cut down on unnecessary environmental waste created by excess product” by only creating custom made orders as well as give jobs to more than 40,000 artists in more than 120 countries. It seems too good to be true, but it’s real. Check out their website here. I don’t know how they maintain an income, just because of how obscure the company is, but it’s awesome that they’re able to stay afloat. They’re giving people jobs and creating some super cool art at the same time, while decreasing the amount of waste. Check out their website here.
Eight different shoe brands that are all making huge impacts in all different areas… doesn’t that give you hope for society? It makes me feel good thinking about the good that people are doing around the world. I think our world can seem so negative all the time and it’s nice to stop and see the good in the world. It’s crazy the amount of ways you can help people with a simple pair of shoes. It’s crazy the impact a simple pair of shoes can make. Breaking the poverty cycle in Africa??? That one still just astonishes me.
I had only heard of two of these companies prior to doing this research, but I’m glad that I now know more about these shoe brands that are working hard to leave a positive impact on this world. I’d buy from anyone of these companies to support the good work that they’re doing. I’ve never owned a pair of shoes from any of these companies, but I definitely wanted to add a pair to my cart as I checked out their websites. Anybody else a real sucker for a cute pair of shoes? I know I’m not the only one. All of these brands are providing quality shoes that are stylish and worth trying out!
I loved reading about these companies and it definitely made me interested in buying their products. I’d love to hear from you guys whether you’ve ever heard of some of these companies or if you’d be interested in buying from them in the future after knowing how they’re helping out our planet 🙂 I just think it’s super cool to think about a sweet little kid halfway across the world getting to wear a quality pair of shoes with a big smile on his or her face, all because of a brand that gives customers the opportunity to make an impact.
This blog post is definitely not sponsored. It’s all for you guys, so I hope you were able to learn a lot from this post and that you’re feeling inspired to do something kind today. Make a difference in someone’s life today, whether that be with a smile, a compliment, or buying someone’s lunch. The world needs more kind people. So let’s be kind people.
I hope you’ve had a great week so far and that it just keeps getting greater 😉 My week was crazy last week, but I’ve finally gotten to a slower paced week — WOOHOO! And, I don’t know if you readers are college students or not, but FALL BREAK is on it’s way! Hang in there friends. Can’t wait to talk with you next time!!!
Sole Mate Shoes 