TOMS SHOES LOGO

Friends,

By now, you've probably heard that TOMS gave our 1,000,000th pair of shoes on a historic trip back to Argentina. Several weeks have passed since this Shoe Drop, and yet, I still find myself not only in a state of absolute joy and gratefulness, but also in disbelief. When I had the idea for TOMS 4 1/2 years ago, my goal was simply to help the 250 kids that I met while traveling on vacation. That simple One for One model that I founded TOMS on was nothing more than an idea, a project, a what if? I didn't know anything about shoes, or fashion or philanthropic giving. All I had was a feeling that this is something I must do. 

But that simple idea attracted some curious customers, great retail partners, and some very very talented people who all together have helped me transform my idea into not only a company, but a movement, and because of that, one million pairs of shoes have been given and a new way of thinking about business has emerged. And through it all, I have been blessed with a new family, my TOMS family, that I now get to share so much love and joy with. 

The trip has inspired me in new and unexpected ways. Every night we sat around the campfire and shared not only our thoughts from the day, but also from the past four years. Hearing how this journey has affected everyone from my first intern and employee, Jonathan, to our AT&T and Gowalla contest winners made me realize that TOMS is about much more than placing shoes on kids' feet. TOMS is about a mindset, a gateway into a new type of thinking, and as my friends from AT&T say, it's the opportunity to "rethink possible" - which is what I hope my words and observations will inspire you to do. So, starting today, I am going to re-commit myself to sharing this amazing journey we're on through this blog. I hope that you will join me.... and share your comments, questions and love. 

TOMS reaches an incredible milestone, thanks to the support of customers and fans: 1,000,000 pairs of new shoes have been given to children in need around the world through the One for One model.

One Day Without Shoes, an annual day of awareness for all of the children who go barefoot every day, reaches over 250,000 participants in 2010, with events being hosted all around the world. 

 Blake shares the TOMS story with more than 70 campuses nationwide. Thousands of students are inspired to join the One for One movement.

 AT&T features TOMS and Blake Mycoskie in a 30-second TV commercial. The national exposure for a small SoCal company grows the One for One movement to new heights.

The TOMS business model is the foundation for the first One for One collaboration: Element Skateboards pledges to give a skateboard to children in South Africa for every TOMS + Element board they sold.

TOMS leads 3 Shoe Drops in the United States, bringing white canvas TOMS to the schools for the kids to decorate their own shoes. TOMS now gives in 23 countries.

A team from TOMS and Chief Shoe Giver Blake Mycoskie visit Ethiopia to learn more about a debilitating disease called podoconiosis. Completely preventable by wearing proper footwear, TOMS starts to build relationships in Ethiopia to play a part in the prevention of podo. 

The TOMS internship program launches. With three intern classes per year, numerous passionate, hard-working individuals have interned with TOMS, some of them even becoming full-time employees. The program's objective is to create ambassadors for TOMS and provide mentorship. 

The One for One business model and the TOMS brand are featured in the LA Times in an article by fashion critic Booth Moore. A company that was fulfilling less than 50 orders each week suddenly had more than 2,000 orders to fill in less than 24 hours.