TOMS Shoes: A-List Appeal

Posted: 2009 Mar 23 Master entrepreneur, Blake Mycoskie, already has 4 companies under his belt when he gets his best idea yet: create a shoe company that gives a pair away for every pair sold. Using his great business sense to garner a celebrity following, Mycoskie has grown TOMS Shoes into a global brand.  The company has given over 115,000 pairs of shoes to children in need. The Entrepreneurs premieres Thursday, April 2nd  9p | 1a ETVisit The Entrepreneurs website

Photo Courtesy of TOMS Shoes One reason for TOMS success is its “A-list appeal” and the ability to attract high profile celebrities to the cause. Here Keira Knightly is pictured trying on a pair of the original red TOMS with Blake.

Photo Courtesy of TOMS Shoes Blake and actress Maggie Grace hit the red carpet for the screening of the short documentary "For Tomorrow".  An official selection at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, “For Tomorrow” documents the very first TOMS Shoe Drop, where Blake, family, friends and staff traveled to Argentina to deliver 10,000 pairs of Toms shoes to match the 10,000 pairs purchased by TOMS customers.

Photo Courtesy of Hanson Taylor, Zac, and Isaac Hanson, of the band Hanson, joined TOMS on their 2006 shoe drop to South Africa.

Photo Courtesy of Hanson In an effort to promote the TOMS Shoes cause, Hanson hosts a shoeless mile-long walk for fans before every concert - the ultimate goal being to walk “around the world”, and to raise awareness of poverty.

Photo Courtesy of Patrick McMullan Blake and Lauren Bush—whose FEED bags benefit the U.N. World Food Program—celebrated their collaborations with Rugby Ralph Lauren during a event at the brand's flagship store in New York City.

Photo Courtesy of Katie Bryan Austin City Limits is an annual three-day music festival in Austin, Texas. A portion of the festival is dedicated to art, craft items, and interesting merchandise from Texas's creative community. Blake, a native Texan, saw the festival as a great place to spread the TOMS word. In the fall of 2008, TOMS shoes had a special vendor set-up at the festival - promoting the cause and selling TOMS.

Photo Courtesy of Dana McClellan TOMS Shoes debuted its pop-up store in September of 2008 at the annual Abbot-Kinney Festival. The festival is a neighborhood event attracting people from all over Los Angeles to experience a day of music, shopping and food.  TOMS pop-up store provided an opportunity for people to learn about the shoes and the cause.  The pop-up store was such a success for TOMS that they extended their stay beyond its initial 26 days, well into the 2008 holiday season.

Photo Courtesy of Dana McClellan With the 2008 presidential election on everyone’s mind, TOMS Shoes stayed on trend by creating the Democrat Vote Toms featuring a donkey, and the Republican Vote Toms featuring an elephant.

Photo Courtesy of TOMS Shoes Designer Ralph Lauren collaborates with TOMS Shoes to create a limited edition line of TOMS to be sold exclusively Lauren’s Rugby Stores and its website Rugby.com.  Rugby TOMS range in price from $58 to $100.

Photo Courtesy of Toms Shoes Blake and Alejo Nitti stand in front of the very barn where TOMS was first conceived. At the time, Alejo was an accountant and a professional polo player, and he tackled the role of TOMS Shoes’ first Chief Shoe Maker. In 2008, Alejo stepped down from this position to oversee all of the Argentine Shoe Drops.

A prospering entrepreneur has his best idea yet…donate shoes for every pair sold.  Blake Mycoskie’s Toms Shoes helps children in need around the world.And, Celebrity Chef Rick Bayless brings authentic Mexican flavors to America and now hopes his star power will help Frontera Foods shine at the grocery store.The Entrepreneurs premieres Thursday, April 2nd  9p | 1a ETReplay Toms Shoes: A-List Appeal slideshowPlay Frontera: The Celebrity Factor slideshowVisit The Entrepreneurs Website