If you’re like me, you were taken aback with great surprise when you logged onto http://TomsShoes.com and were instead redirected to a new site, one with a shorter URL and a sweet new redesign! Introducing the all-new http://Toms.com.

Focus on Community

The first thing you notice is the new overarching emphasis on interactivity and community updates.  On the old site, you’d have to click from one tab to the other to stay current with all the hottest and most important Toms Shoes news, but now all that information is made completely available to you right on the homepage!  Great idea, Blake Mycoskie, and the new Toms.com web developers!  We couldn’t think more highly about the new emphasis on social media, from an easy link to their Twitter feed (our Twitter feed is available at @WeLoveToms, by the way) and Myspace, Facebook, and YouTube accounts.  And even more so than the Toms Shoes news stories, we think the user-generated product reviews, written by everyday people like you and me, is a really nice touch that personalizes the Toms Shoes One for One Experience.

A Focus on Mission and Long-Term Value Creation for Kids in Need

What’s that, you say?  You’re not familiar with One for One?  Well strap on some Toms Shoes Cordones or Toms Shoes Alpargatas, because this is going to be a fun and exciting ride!  The One for One Mission cuts to the core, the very spiritual essence, if you will, of what the Toms Shoes brand is all about.  You see, for every single pair of shoes that Toms Shoes sells to a person in the United States of America or any number of countries around the world where Toms Shoes are sold, Toms Shoes will then give a pair of shoes to a child in need somewhere far over the world.  To date, they’ve given away shoes in places from as near as New Orleans or as far away as South Africa.  And they’re doing great work in Ethiopia as well fighting the foot disease of podoconiosis.

Toms Shoes Blog and News Updates!

As a Toms Shoes Blog ourself, and a fan page to boot, we can’t stop talking about the new Toms Shoes blog and news section of the site, that’s fully integrated into the domain name and really customized to deliver a top-notch user experience.  Sound a bit technical?  It’s because we know our stuff!  Yes, we here at WeLoveToms.com are a bit nerdy when it comes to blogs and the internet, but all the better to get our message about Toms Shoes, and the Toms Shoes message itself, out to people like you.  Besides, we wear Toms Shoes all the time, and that infinitely adds to the coolness vibe

So – all in all, the new Toms Shoes website, over at Toms.com, is a huge win!  We love it and wish the Toms Shoes team nothing but success as they ramp up their online marketing efforts.

And for all of you that want to get some Toms Shoes yourself, well hey!  Go click on the banner beneath this article and you’ll save $5 at checkout!  Simply use the promo code ChooseShoes.  It’s that simple!  As simple as One for One?  You bet.

Unbelievable.  Just when you thought Toms Shoes couldn’t get any better, they went ahead and changed the game again.  That’s right.  Toms Shoes has now introduced Plaid Toms Shoes Cordones to their 2010 collection.  This shoe is really something spectacular.  Toms Shoes is all about making a fashion statement, and nothing says cool and in vogue like plaid.  It is really the style to wear in 2010.  Toms Shoes has come out with two variations of the plaid shoe cordones:  The Mairal Plaid Toms Shoe, and the Dolina Plaid Toms Shoe.  Here is a picture of the Mairal Plaid Toms Shoes Cordones below:

What a nice looking shoe.  This Toms Shoes Cordones features a dark navy and black background with plaid in soft red and white.  Just lovely shoes.  These shoes feature wool uppers with a luxurious soft leather insole.  The outsole is made of durable rubber and there’s plenty of arch and heel support.

But you’re not just interested in the specs of the shoe.  Neither am I.  I write this post because Toms Shoes is an amazing company – for sure with a great product – and an even better mission.  For every single pair of shoes you buy, Toms Shoes will donate a pair to a child in need.  One for One.  This promise is what has made Toms Shoes the international success that it is, and because of the generosity of people like you Toms Shoes has been able to give away over 130,000 pairs of shoes to kids in need, including in New Orleans and South Africa.  What a great company, and I hope you support them.

We can’t leave off without mentioning the other Toms Shoes Plaid Cordones: The Dolina Cordones.  Before I tell you anything about the Dolina Cordones, take a look at them here:

Pardon me while I step aside and say – badassss!  These shoes are serious cool.  They have all the vintage and weathered look you want while still incorporating the hot look of plaid that you always love.  Plus – these shoes are cordones, and that means you can wear them with laces or without – completely your choice.  Super great shoes.

So now the question is, of course, that you want to buy these shoes.  I know.  I do too.  Seeing as how I just bought a pair of Toms Shoes last week,  you would think I’m good.  But I bought alpargatas.  So now I need some cordones.  I think these are the ones for me.  Check out this video I made talking about the Plaid Toms Shoes.

Now that you’ve seen the pictures and watched the video, the only thing left for you to do is go buy some plaid Toms Shoes.  You can buy them at TomsShoes.com.  If you just want to browse some Toms Shoes then click on the banner below and it will take you to the site.

Peace and love,

Auren
Founder,  WeLoveToms.com

Welcome to WeLoveToms.com.  This past October, Toms Shoes teamed up with skateboard giant Element Skateboards to participate in a unique demonstration of the One for One Movement.  Not only did they give away a pair of shoes to a child in need, but they also partnered up in a team collaboration that both helped kids get shoes and gave kids in a remote part of Africa a safe place to have some fun, with skateboards!

The premise of the collaboration is simple.  Toms Shoes designed a number of Element Skateboard-inspired Toms Shoes.  And Element Skateboards designed a Toms-Shoe-themed skateboard.  Working together, Toms Shoes and Element Skateboards gave away shoes and skateboards to children in need, and in the process provided them with a safe community location to spend time and have fun.

Here are some photos from the shoe drop:

As you can see, the Toms Shoes team and the kids as well had an amazing time, and their Toms Shoes fit perfect!  Hint – for more pics, you can check out the Toms Shoes Facebook Page about the South Africa Shoe Drop.

The shoe drop came about after two like-minded companies came together to really make some good happen in this world:  Toms Shoes and Element Skateboards.  This was the first time that Toms Shoes banded together with another company to fulfill its One for One Promise and people responded with overwhelming positivity – both the special edition Toms Shoes and the Toms Shoes Element Skateboard sold out very quickly.

Of course, if you want to get your hands on some amazing Toms Shoes (or an Element skateboard for that matter), there are plenty of amazing styles to go.  And remember that with your purchase of a pair of Toms Shoes, you are purchasing a pair of shoes for a child in need just like those wonderful smiling faces you saw above.  What a gift you get to give.  If you’re interested in purchasing a pair of Toms Shoes, you can click on any of the images or go to the banner at the bottom of this post and to your right.  With the One for One Promise in full effect, you can rest assured that your new pair of shoes is bringing a smile to the face of a child somewhere far away around the world.

We’ll leave you with this YouTube video that the Toms Shoes Team made about the shoe drop.  Watch it here, and then go to TomsShoes.com to get your own pair and support more shoe drops just like this one!

I just received an email from Toms Shoes Chief Shoe Giver Blake Mycoskie today! Sure, he probably didn’t just send it to me – I have a feeling he sent it to the entire Toms Shoes email list. But this email was important, because in it he reached out to all of us Toms Shoes supporters, to ask us how WE will be participating in the world to make it a better place in 2010. I could go on, but I think Blake can say it better than I. So without further adieu, here is the email from Blake Mycoskie. The subject line is “Making tomorrow better”.

Dear WeLoveToms.com –

What is your vision for tomorrow?

While traveling in Argentina a few years ago, I met barefoot children who were struggling just to get through their daily lives. I desperately wanted to give them shoes for a better tomorrow, which led to the creation of TOMS. Since that time you — the TOMS community — have given away over 400,000 pairs of shoes to children around the world through our giving partners.

I couldn’t have imagined that one simple idea — all children deserving shoes — would create such an astonishing movement. Thank you for embracing this dream and helping to create the TOMS community we have today.

Now, we at TOMS HQ would like to hear from you. What is your dream for making tomorrow better than today? Share with us how you are hoping to make a difference in our world.

Our goal at TOMS is to be a company who wants a better tomorrow for everyone — it is so central to our mission it is how we came up with our name (TOMS stands for tomorrow). And we believe we all have experiences that lead us to want to make a difference in the world.

Most great ideas start small and close to home. What are your ideas of improving yourself, your community, and even our world? No idea is too big or too small. Believe me, you never know where the act of writing down your dreams will lead.

Just a few years ago I took a moment to write down my vision for tomorrow, and I hope you will do the same on TOMS.com now:

http://tools.toms.com/VisionForTomorrow

We look forward to being inspired — there’s a big world to change out there.

Carpe diem,

–Blake

Blake Mycoskie
Chief Shoe Giver
TOMS Shoes

Will you take the time to submit how you are making tomorrow better?

Love Toms Shoes as much as we do?  Care about the environment and living eco-friendly?  Want to make a statement in support of Earth and humanity with your shoes?  Then you need to check out these Vegan Toms Shoes!  What are vegan shoes?  Vegan shoes means that Toms Shoes uses nothing from animals and all recycled or natural materials.  So, the rubber shoe soles are recycled.  In fact, lots of parts of this shoe are recycled.  And all of these shoes are backed by the Toms Shoes One for One guarantee, so you can rest assured that whenever you buy a pair of Vegan Toms shoes, Toms of Shoes and their good friends Friends of Toms will put a pair of shoes on the feet of a kid in need.

The Toms Shoes Vegan Alpargatas

Toms Shoes has a few different styles of vegan shoe available.  We’ve already written to you, for instance, about the Vegan Habitante.  But Toms Shoes also has a number of different variations of alpargatas that still carry the vegan label – and we think they should be proud of it!  Just for the sake of making it easy on you, we’re going to show you the style of the Vegan Habitante.  It looks like the basic Toms Shoes alpargata, except it has this really cool writing all over the shoe talking about how the world is one, we’re all connected, and all that love that binds us.  We happen to think that’s how the world really works.  And so we really like this shoe:

But there’s more in the way of sexy and cool new vegan Toms Shoes styles.  A primary example?  The Vegan Toms Shoe Herringbone Stitchout.  It comes in heather blue and khaki, and the design is a very authentic, unique twist on the original Toms Shoes Alpargata.  This shoe somehow ends up looking more “real” and “home country” to the Argentinians and Spanish that pioneered this shoe.  Check it out here!

But that’s not all in the way of Vegan Toms Shoes sensation!  I am now proud to introduce on WeLoveToms.com, for the very first time, the Toms Shoes Vegan Wrap Boot:

Toms Shoes Vegan Wrap Boot of Awesomeness

What a cool boot!  This boot is described as “ultra stylish and ultra comfortable” and we can sure see why.  The boot comes with an elastic wrap that extends all the way from you ankle, to seal at the top with state-of-the-art Toms Shoes velcro.  We think this constitutes a great new addition to the Toms Shoes family of fantastic, beautiful, and world-changing shoes.  Yes, we love Toms that much.

At the end of the day, our support for Toms Shoes comes down to what the company is about at its core.  And that, my friends, is helping people.  Specifically, it is about helping kids.  Philanthropist Bill Gates has said that if everyone in the world had a shoe and a toilet, we would cure half of the disease in this world.  Now we only know about shoes here at We Love Toms, but we do know that Toms Shoes gives away a pair of shoes for every single pair somebody buys.  And because of that, we don’t mind asking you to support us and the Toms Shoes company by buying a pair of shoes.  Your purchase makes the world that much better a place for us human beings to live together in love.  As hippie as it sounds (and I’m a hippie, so I know!), it’s really true.  Get yourself a pair of Toms Shoes and help a kid in need get a pair of shoes on his feet today.

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One of the greatest aspects of Toms Shoes is the actual giving away of the shoes to kids in need.  They call this the “Shoe Drop”, where members of the Toms Shoes team essentially drop into a location and give shoes to kids, guerrilla style.  It’s pretty exciting, we know.  Well Toms has done a few of these shoe drops, and this summer they had a fantastic successful shoe drop in New Orleans, Louisiana!  Toms Shoes puts shoes on the feet of kids in need no matter where they are, even if where they are is right here in the United States of America.

The good folks at Toms Shoes know that kids all over the world like to have fun, and they deserve too!  So in this particular shoe drop, the Toms Shoes team had kids coloring in and decorating their very own Toms!  Check out this video of the Toms Shoes New Orleans shoe drop:

Thirty volunteers from the Toms Shoes team, including Friends of Toms, Toms Shoes interns from the home office in Santa Monica, California, and founder and Chief Shoe Giver Blake Mycoskie.  The drop took place from August 20th to 26th, as the Toms team went to five local school New Orleans Schools.

Says Toms Shoes Program Manager Ana Maria (quote taken from TomsShoes.com): “The domestic need is very different from the need in international places Toms gives shoes.  In the States, kids may be wearing shoes that are too big or small, worn out beyond repair or shared, and we want to bring awareness to that.  Every child should have a pair of comfortable shoes to call their own.”

Here’s a photo of a happy child in New Orleans with his new Toms Shoes (photo taken from the Toms Shoes Facebook Album):

The volunteers loved the event, and the kids did too – and of course, they got well-fitting and custom-designed Toms Shoes out of the process!  What a noble event.  Read about Friends of Toms here.

So how can you participate?  Well, there are two things you can do!  First thing you can do is go to the Friends of TOMS homepage.  Simply enter your email on the homepage, and you will be notified about shoe drop opportunities in 2010 in Argentina, South Africa, the United States, and Ethiopia.

But how do they get the shoes to give away in the first place?  That’s where you come in again, and in a big way!  Remember that with the Toms One for One Movement, Toms Shoes gives a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair you buy.  So when you buy a pair of Toms Shoes, you are also making a shoe to be available for all the good folks at Friends of Toms to give away when they have shoe drop!  Go to TomsShoes.com and support the One for One Movement!

See the original picture here: http://twitpic.com/wp6go

Check out singer and songwriter Jason Mraz sporting some nifty new Toms Shoes!  The photo was taken during what was described as a “very chill interview”.  Obviously Celebrities are not new to Toms; they have been wearing Toms Shoes for years!  But we think it’s important to showcase all those famous folks wearing Toms Shoes because let’s face it – the more celebrities we see wearing Toms Shoes, the more people like you and me want to buy them!  And that’s just great in our book.

Here’s a copy of a similar pair of Toms Shoes you can buy right at TomsShoes.com!

And as always, Toms Shoes matches your purchase One for One by giving away a pair of shoes to a child in need. Over 150,000 pairs of shoes have been given away. With your help, we can make it 150,001. Go to TomsShoes.com and buy a pair of Toms Shoes today.

The One For One Movement cuts to the very core of what Toms Shoes is all about.  When we say “One for One” on this site, or when Blake Mycoskie (founder and Chief Shoe Giver of Toms Shoes) accepts an award at the Clinton Global Initiative and mentions the One for One Model, what we all refer to is a specific model that sends a pair of shoes to a child in need for every single pair of Toms Shoes purchased.  The notion of One for One is powerful because it ties consumer action (in this case, the purchase of a pair of Toms Shoes) to the doing of good.  This motivator is very powerful because consumers like yourselves feel good about making a purchase with Toms Shoes, because they know that their purchase is contributing to the wellbeing of a child somewhere on the planet.  By buying a pair of shoes, they can do good.

Before I continue, perhaps you would enjoy viewing this YouTube video made by Toms Shoes that explains the One for One Movement far more eloquently than I can:

Wow.  That video really spells out what Toms Shoes is about.  I can’t really say it better than that.  It really makes you think that Toms Shoes is so much more than a shoe company.  Yes, they sell shoes.  But what they are really doing is creating a vehicle – a system – to put shoes on the feet of kids.  It’s just that simple.  At the end of the day, that’s why Toms Shoes was formed.  What a beautiful, and simple, concept.

Of course, it’s great to put shoes on kids feet.  It’s amazing.  If you watch that video you can’t help but feel moved by the real and powerful work that this company does.  But I have a feeling that Blake Mycoskie didn’t want to stop at just One for One with shoes.  And I think that right now, we have a real opportunity as workers, small business owners, and entrepreneurs, to really incorporate the One for One model in everything we do.  Specifically, we can apply it to future businesses.

Do you have a bakery?  For every loaf of bread you sell, you donate a loaf of bread to the homeless shelter down the street.  Do you have a home-building company?  For every house you build, you donate a home to Habitat for Humanity.  Do you have a blog?  For every post you write that helps you make money, you write a post educating people on how they can do good.  That’s why I love this site and what it does.  Because every time I write a post, a person is one step closer to buying a pair of Toms Shoes.  And in my book, that means that they’re doing good.  So I gladly write every post you read here because if it can convince you to buy a pair of Toms then you are helping do some good in this world and you are making a very real difference in the process.

So after all that is said, the only thing to ask is that you go to TomsShoes.com either through this link or through the banner below, and you go buy a pair of Toms Shoes.  With the One for One model in full effect, your purchase means that a child just like the little ones in the video we saw gets what might be their very first pair of shoes.  What a simple, and wonderful, gift.

This shoe is the ultimate in Toms Shoes cool.  Not only does your purchase go to support a child in need, but you are also purchasing a pair of completely vegan, eco-friendly, and green Toms Shoes!  Here are some details about the Toms Shoes Vegan Habitante Shoe:

First off, the shoe is completely made from recycled and sustainable materials.  This shoe is the ultimate in eco-friendly fashion!  The insole is made of a soft faux suede for extra comfort when you slip your feet inside a pair of these delightful shoes, and the outsole is made of a recycled rubber blend with a textured bottom to ensure improved traction.  It also has arch and heel support!  See, we really weren’t kidding when we said this was the complete Toms Shoe.  Check it out:

Even cooler:  The shoe has tiny writings all over it talking about how we are all one human village, and how we are all connected!  So if you’re like us and think that it’s important to keep the world united around the causes of peace and love, then this shoe is a really great way to express that.

And as always, this shoe is backed by the Toms Shoes One for One promise.  Whenever you purchase a pair of these Toms Shoes Vegan Habitante shoes, Toms Shoes will give away a pair of shoes to a child in need.  They do this for every single pair of shoes you buy, and it’s called One for One.  So far they’ve given away over 150,000 pairs of shoes.  Truly amazing!

PS If you love Vegan Toms Shoes of all kinds, you should check out our Vegan Toms Shoes Collection page!

Toms Shoes always has the most amazing styles – seriously, we can’t just get enough!  They have the most colorful variations of shoes as well – red shoes, blue shoes, white shoes, black shoes, brown shoes, orange shoes, and more.  But a lot of people out here like pink shoes.  Specifically with the Toms Shoes logo, a pink pair of shoes does wonders to both make a fashion statement and a social statement as well.  You are saying – I am bold, I am confident, and I stand-out – and, you are also saying that you support children in need and good causes with your purchases.  That is an important statement as well.  But you are wondering if Toms Shoes has pink shoes?  Well look no further than right here.  Because we at WeLoveToms.com love all kinds of Toms Shoes, including the Pink Ones!  Here are our favorite Toms Shoes with pink, good for either men or women:

This one has really cute pink diamonds throughout the shoe!  Click here to go to TomsShoes.com to check it out.

This one has a really cool rustic style, with some pink hues in it.  Definitely a cool shoe for the hipster artist who likes Toms Shoes.  (Or anyone else).  Click here to go to TomsShoes.com to check it out.

This shoe also has some pink, along with a super funky paisley design.  If you want some paisley Toms Shoes with some pink as well, then this is the shoe for you!  Click here to go to TomsShoes.com to buy them.

This shoe is a classic favorite.  Purple stripes around pink squares with blue hues.  A great shoe, kind of the essence of the funky Toms Shoes design we know and love. Click here to go to TomsShoes.com to check them out.

Another suave, cool, Toms Shoes design.  Here we’ve got fading from gold to gray across the shoe, with purple and pink hues all throughout.  Super stylish!!  Click here to go to TomsShoes.com to check them out in further detail.

And of course, you can’t go wrong with these ultra-classic red Toms Shoes.  They’re not fully pink, but they sure are just as bold and they make a great statement along with going along with pretty much all of your favorite outfits.  Click here to go to TomsShoes.com to check them out.

As always, remember that for every pair of shoes you buy, Toms Shoes gives a pair away to a child in need.  It’s called the One for One Promise.  And they’ve given away over 150,000 pairs of shoes since Blake Mycoskie founded the company back in 2006.  So go and buy a pair of Toms Shoes, or three.  Every time you buy one, you are helping a child in serious need get shoes on their feet.  And after you bought that pair of shoes, smile.  Because you’ve earned it.