Literary Journalism
Fashion & Passion
Getting dressed or laying out my outfits each day invokes a sense of goodwill. As I search through my wardrobe for the perfect outfit, the tags and images on my shirts and shoes remind me of the causes that I have and continue to support. From a shirt brand whose proceeds go towards the Save the Elephant fund to a company that produces school supplies and stationery and donates funds and supplies to schools in need across the United States, I have become a shopper conscious of selecting brands who have a philanthropic business model that reflects my own beliefs about service.
Engaging in service and giving back to my community is a value that was instilled in me from a young age, back when my aunt and I would stay up late every Friday night baking cookies and cupcakes to donate to our local rescue squad auxiliary crew who would sell the goodies at auctions and fairs. A few years later, I still assisted in baking and cooking, but I also became a member of the rescue squad myself so that I could have a more direct and active role in helping the members of my community that I have come to know personally. I have always been self-motivated to seek out ways that I can give back or help those in need.
As I have become independent in making shopping decisions, I have actively tried to seek out brands who have similar ideals and who stand for values such as service and helping out others. Traditional for-profit businesses consider the ideas of some of the companies that I’ve become dedicated to nice but not practical for making large profits and continuing to expand (Mycoskie). However, after much searching online and in obscure hole-in-the-wall shops, I have been able to discover that there are brands who have combined passion for their products with their commitment for giving back.
One of these for-profits brands who holds a philanthropic component as an important part of their business model is TOMS Shoes (Spaulding). Blake Mycoskie, the founder of TOMS, was inspired to create a company that would help those in need of shoes after visiting Argentina, where he travelled to the backwoods and noticed that many of the villagers were unable to afford a single pair of shoes for their children; he also discovered a unique and surprisingly comfortable farm shoe, known as the Alpargata, that the locals traditionally wear (Spaulding). With these two major discoveries, Mycoskie decided to take action to help the villagers (Spaulding). Each year, TOMS Shoes releases a special line that features local artists from some of the countries that they benefit. Scrolling through the hand-painted designs and seeing the faces of the artists allows for me to make a more personal connection with the brand and the products I purchase.
Now a for-profit company that is worth over $400 million yet maintains a karmic capital, TOMS Shoes has a movement called One for One (Buchanan). The movement is Mycoskie’s entire idea and purpose behind the brand: for every shoe purchased, TOMS will donate a pair to someone in need. Since their foundation and my own discovery of the business, TOMS Shoes has also expanded beyond just espadrille shoes; they now sell eyewear, coffee, bags, and backpacks. The One for One Movement stands for those products as well. With the purchase of each, the TOMS company gives surgery, prescription glasses or medical treatment to someone in need, access to safe water and the support of water systems, provides training for skilled birth attendants and materials for a woman to safely give birth, and provides training of crisis counselors and school staff to prevent and respond to acts of bullying, respectively (TOMS).
I was in middle school when I learned about the purpose of this company through my history teacher. After I complimented her espadrilles before class one day, she told me about how the brand donated a pair to someone without shoes in honor of her purchase. Even at that young of an age, I fell in love with the One for One Movement. I chose a woolen pair for my Christmas gift that year and wore my new shoes proudly, excited by the fact that I was able to help someone in need by simply purchasing a pair of comfortable and cute shoes. Today, whenever I am searching for the perfect new pair of shoes, TOMS Shoes is always the first brand I go online and look at or search the shelves for in stores. Knowing the impact that TOMS Shoes has on the lives of people who are in serious need of their services encourages me to choose their brand first, even if some of the shoes may be more pricey than similar styles from different brands.
I also find myself talking up the brand to my sister and friends, who now all own at least one pair of TOMS, which makes me happy to know that people close to me are engaging in business with a company that supports those in need and has a philanthropic component to its for-profit business model. My younger sister and I have styles that are worlds apart- she being the athletic star, never seen in something that isn’t name brand, and myself with no real label to singular sense of direction in the world of fashion. That doesn’t stop her from going through my clothes when I’m not home, though, and taking anything she wants to wear, since we share similar sizes. I never expected her to steal my grey canvas TOMS since she is more of a Nikes tennis shoes girl. But one day, I saw her sneaking them out of my closet, and then, when we went shopping a few weeks later, she went to Journey’s to purchase her own pair. When she was doing this, I also made sure that she knew the real importance of buying a pair of TOMS espadrilles: I told her about the One For One Movement, and, to my happiness, she became even more excited about owning her own pair of TOMS Shoes.
When I needed a new pair of glasses before starting college, I looked online to see if I could find any businesses similar to TOMS Shoes. I sat down with Google and entered my searches to guide this quest. Glasses brands that give back? Any eyewear brands like TOMS Shoes? I was excited when I discovered a link to a brand called Warby Parker a few search results down on the screen. I was immediately drawn to this brand for their stylish options for my next pair of glasses and their service-oriented vision shown through their mission statement. The first line of the company’s history page on their website says, “Warby Parker was founded with a rebellious spirit and a lofty objective: to offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price, while leading the way for socially conscious businesses” (“History”). I was pleased when I was able to finally purchase my perfect pair and know that I was able to help out someone in need of glasses or services.
Part of the appeal of Warby Parker, for me, comes from the retro, hipster-esque frame options and the fact that the company’s name was inspired by two obscure characters from novels by Jack Kerouac, my favorite author According to Adam Grant, “They called the company Warby Parker, combining the names of two characters created by the novelist Jack Kerouac, who inspired them to break free from the shackles of social pressure and embark on their adventure. They admired his rebellious spirit, infusing it into their culture.” Beyond that, I appreciate and chose this company for their buy-a-pair, give-a-pair program (commonly referred to as BOGO, meaning buy one, get one). For every pair of Warby Parker eyewear that is purchased, it means that another pair is given to a person in the developing who, otherwise, would have had no or difficulty accessing or purchasing their own glasses. 90 percent of the world’s visually impaired people live in developing countries, so instead of actually donating the glasses outright and risk displacing the already established local businesses, Warby Parker makes cash donations from each sale to VisionSpring, a nonprofit that trains low-income women and men to sell glasses in their own communities for affordable prices for the consumer and thus allowing these individuals to earn a dependable living (Fitzgerald). Warby Parker has been true to the mission that Kerouac inspired. The creators are rebellious in the sense that they rage against the traditional businesses model and embark on their own, which is one of giving to those in need of the services that they’re able to provide. By purchasing Warby Parker eyewear, I have knowingly bought into this aesthetic that they have created for themselves, which is supported by the BOGO ethics of the brand.
In middle and high school, I refused to be what I called a walking billboard for some ridiculously expensive, big name brands like Aeropostale (easily the most popular brand in my small town) or Abercrombie and Fitch, meaning that I would not wear clothes with a brand label plastered all over it. When I learned of these businesses’ policies that allow them to discriminate against consumers based on body type and how they refuse to donate any products. If these businesses do not sell all of their products by the end of the season, they they are burned. Not donated; not even recycled, but burned. I was appalled. There was no way that I would be caught supporting such horrible business model and being a billboard for a company who only cares about their profits and image rather than their customers. But now, I find showing off my Warby Parker glasses and plethora of TOMS Shoes to be a pleasant experience since I am a walking billboard for brands with an important message and who have missions that I wholeheartedly support. Brands such as TOMS Shoes and Warby Parker keep their mission in mind and are aware that they are selling a lifestyle. Both invoke a sense of unity and adventure. By giving products to someone in need, these companies show that we all, as consumers and humans, are connected through our daily needs and decisions.
With the booming success of social change strategy businesses and the growing divide between rich and poor and developed and developing nations, being aware of brands making an impact is crucial for consumers. There are ways to contribute to those less fortunate and opportunities to give back in ways that hold much significance for those receiving the beneficiary products and services yet come at no extra effort for the initial consumer. What started as my own passion for my community encouraged me to seek out such businesses as another way to give back and support companies who have the same morals that I have. A quick Google search is all that a consumer needs to do to find a brand that supports an ideal that he or she is passionate about. As businesses develop to better serve the needs of their customers and the world as a whole, consumers gain the responsibility of choosing to do business with such companies. Now that these businesses are becoming more common and large-scale, their significance to the economy and the lives of others should be praised and utilized by consumers searching for their products and individuals hoping to give back to artisans and those in need.
One of the most important aspects of social change strategy business models of these companies is the fact that even if consumers are unfamiliar with the philanthropic components, people in need are still benefitted, unlike companies who ask if the consumer would like to donate a dollar or choose to have a percent of the purchase go towards a charity of the consumer’s choice. From my personal experience, I am much more likely to initially choose a company that is directly involved in the civic service that they promote. As Warby Parker co-founder Neil Blumenthal states about his own company, “the social mission’s main benefit- beyond the altruistic goal of getting eyeglasses to some 700 million people who do not have access” to such products and services has more to do than recruiting customers (Avins). He argues that customers do not have to care about a company’s social mission to still engage in business with the company; many of the founders of such businesses are “not under the illusion” that partnerships and active service are the number one reason why consumers choose to purchase certain brands (Avins). However, I personally think that the philanthropic components of a business add to their overall appeal and should encourage consumers to choose these brands, even if the products do come with a larger price tag than similar products with no philanthropic component. This is one of the reasons that I choose to stock my wardrobe with brands such as Warby Parker and TOMS Shoes. Since I try to be engaged in civic service in my own community, it makes sense for me to be a consumer of brands with similar goals. Giving to those who are less fortunate is the responsibility of those who are able to do so, and companies who allow their consumers to do so indirectly are the perfect resource and route to choose to help others (and yourself to trendy, hipster and authentic products). I love that I am able to buy into the ethics that I support simply by making a conscious effort to search for brands with a philanthropic mindset. My closet may not be made of these brands only, but as I move forward in life, I do plan to keep a commitment to choosing brands that try to give back as a part of their mission and business mode.
Works Cited
Avins, Jenni. "Warby Parker Proves Customers Don’t Have to Care about Your Social Mission." Quartz. Quartz, 29 Dec. 2014. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
Buchanan, Leigh. "What's Next for Toms, the $400 Million For-Profit Built on Karmic Capital." Inc.com. Inc., 27 Apr. 2016. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
Fitzgerald, Michael. "Warby Parker: Buy One, Give One Pair of Trendy Eyeglasses." ImpactAlpha. ImpactAlpha, 30 Dec. 2014. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
Grant, Adam. ORIGINALS: How Non-conformists Move the World. N.p.: Penguin, 2017. Print.
Mycoskie, Blake. "The Founder of TOMS on Reimagining the Company's Mission." Harvard Business Review. Harvard Business Publishing, 04 Apr. 2016. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
Spaulding, Alicja. "TOMS: One for One Movement." Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative (2011): n. pag. Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative. University of New Mexico, 2011. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
Toms. "What We Give | TOMS® Giving." TOMS Shoes, LLC. TOMS, 2017. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
"History." Warby Parker. Warby Parker, 2017. Web. Apr. 2017.
