For every pair of shoes purchased, one pair of shoes is donated to a child in a developing country. This "One for One" concept originated when TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie traveled to Argentina and encountered local children who lived barefoot.


Blake, who aspired to become a professional tennis player in Texas but had his dreams cut short by injury, started his entrepreneurial journey by launching a laundry business in his university dormitory. Later, he participated in the popular CBS show "Amazing Race" and became captivated by Argentina, where he encountered a type of traditional shoe called alpargata. In these shoes, also known as espadrilles, Blake saw the potential to realize his ideal of "solving social problems through the power of business."


"While aid systems in developing countries are often relatively well-established in terms of essential services like water and food, shoes were often lacking. Many children with foot injuries were living in unsanitary conditions, leading to infected wounds and, in severe cases, even amputations. We considered donating used shoes, but that also had its drawbacks. Wearing ill-fitting shoes could make walking difficult and cause blisters. That's why Blake launched TOMS, a project to measure children's foot sizes and provide them with shoes that fit properly."

Hajime Birnbaum first learned about TOMS in 2006, while he was a student at UCLA. He immediately resonated with the TOMS project he learned about through the career services office. Having loved sneakers since childhood and also being interested in social justice, he was impressed by TOMS' philosophy of contributing to society through shoes. Hajime was only 22 years old when he started coming in and out of the TOMS office near Venice Beach as an intern, while Blake was 29. In what was more of an apartment room than an office, young people of the same generation gathered like a dormitory, seeing the future in TOMS' business.

TOMS Asia Regional Manager

"Back then, besides Blake, no one had the technical skills or knowledge to manufacture shoes, but we all shared a strong desire to deliver shoes to barefoot children all over the world. The shoes were produced in Argentina, and large packages would arrive at the office almost every week. We would all sort them out in the office and then deliver them to Fred Segal in Melrose and American Rag Cie. Of course, we drove ourselves."


The project, which started more like a volunteer group than a corporation, has achieved remarkable results from its very first year. With just a website and a few wholesale stores, they sold 10,000 pairs of shoes in their first year, enough to donate the same number to Argentina. In their second year, they sold 50,000 pairs, and were also able to donate shoes to South Africa.

"We actually went to developing countries ourselves, loaded shoes for gifts onto a truck, drove around town, and whenever we found a barefoot child, we'd call out to them and give them a pair of shoes. It was all to see the smiles on the children's faces when they received the shoes. But after doing this for two years, we realized it wasn't very efficient. So we created a section called the Giving Team and shifted to a system where we donate shoes in cooperation with aid organizations in developing countries. Now we have aid organizations called Giving Partners in over 70 countries around the world, and we're promoting the project in a collaborative system."

NEXT≫From a shoe brand to a "One for One" project company