At the beginning of summer I had bought TOMS ballet flats since I love the company’s One for One philosophy. The concept is simple yet powerful: when you buy a pair of shoes it’s matched with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. Originally TOMS started as a shoe company but evolved into a One for One company that launched TOMS Eyewear in 2011. Since then it helped to give sight to people in need within 10 countries worldwide including Nepal, Cambodia, and Tibet in partnership with the Seva Foundation. I like that TOMS takes a more holistic approach with their eyewear program by providing either prescription eyeglasses, sight-saving surgery, or medical treatment depending on the person’s need. Since spring of this year TOMS also partnered with ChildSight to help students in impoverished communities around Los Angeles and New York.
Originally TOMS Eyewear started with three styles of sunglasses for men and women. It’s great to see that the socially-conscious eyewear collection is becoming more stylish. I personally like the unisex Masaru Classic 302, a sleeker version of the traditional pilot sunglasses or the Kinshasa 202, a slightly oversized frame with vintage butterfly angles. My favorite is the Maseru with a gold frame color, a white and olive tip and polarized lenses. The three-stripe-design on the side of the sunglasses looks cool and symbolizes the three-part relationship between you, TOMS, and the story of the person you’re helping. It’s a nice design element and a daily reminder to keep giving. Ultimately the more people sport TOMS eyewear the more aid is given to people in need. It’s inspiring to see that a company can create a movement around doing good since I’ve seen many stylish New Yorkers sport TOMS shoes on their way to the gym or running errands. Isn’t it amazing what the power of One for One can do? It’s more than a shoe company or an eyewear company. It’s good design for a good cause.
[fbshare type=”button” ]