A few years ago, our modern world was struck by the powerful and inventive impact of a company known as TOMS. In my personal experience with this brand, the support for TOMS washed over our society in a major wave of encouragement, but slowly subsided with the changing of seasons and introduction of the next major trend. TOMS today maintains their success and prosperity with economic and societal support, but the initial surge of enthusiasm has faded into a simple presence rather than the cultural phenomenon it once was; a recent interaction with the TOMS brand has re-ignited the spark of passion that I and the rest of society once held towards this company, and I am now setting out to pass the torch of support to others, and bring back the overwhelming enthusiasm and cultural bond that we once held towards TOMS.

TOMS’ claim to fame is hardly rooted in its chic designs and fashionable footwear, rather, the opportunities it provides its customers with to give back to others, and the opportunities it gives those less fortunate to lead healthy and proactive lifestyles- opportunities they would not have had otherwise. Any form of charity is an honorable use of one’s time and energy, but the interaction that TOMS instills between its customers and charities, the direct correlation between purchasing for oneself and giving back to others, imbues a sense of inspiration to continue the trend and further the sense of charity.

Founded in 2006 by Texas native and dynamic philanthropist Blake Mycoskie, TOMS shoes employs a campaign in which they make a donation to an organization in need for every product that they sell. The most common of these campaigns is their one-for-one campaign, where for every pair of shoes they sell, they donate a pair to someone in need, but the philanthropy and service that the TOMS brand provides extends far beyond footwear. With services taking forms such as gifts of sight, water, and a safe birth, among others, the aid provided by TOMS encompasses a wide range of issues in many different locations. Like any for-profit company, TOMS has been subject to scrutiny and criticism, but maintains an honorable and trustworthy reputation and functions on an underlying sense of altruism as the driving force behind the brand. Not only has TOMS maintained this sense of honor, but it openly and actively addresses the criticisms, and for the most part, takes necessary actions to fix these critiques.

Back in the heyday of TOMS’ success, I was roughly a freshman in high school; at such a tumultuous and determining time in my life, I remember the TOMS label to be the mark of pride and success in the hallways of high school. A trend of both fashion and esteem, my peers and I wore our TOMS with perhaps a selfish sense of pride, purchasing the shoe in an informed act of philanthropy, but perhaps a subconscious decision to follow the pack, as TOMS became the trend of the season. Today, I stroll across my college campus and can’t help but smile at the sight of my peers embracing the TOMS mission and representing such a magnanimous brand, but with this pride comes a sense of disappointment thinking back on how just a few years ago I couldn't take a few steps without seeing someone rocking a pair of TOMS and changing the world with their shoes.

Humanitarianism isn’t a trend. Charity isn’t seasonal. Supporting the TOMS brand isn’t something that should ebb and flow with the influx of each season’s latest fads, rather it is a lifestyle choice, a conscious decision to support a movement and change a life, one purchase at a time. I’ll be the first to admit, my TOMS have been collecting dust in my New Jersey closet, as I all but forgot about the initial pride and love I felt when I first supported this organization. But it’s not too late to dig up my old TOMS and openly support a brand of such fervor and generosity, or perhaps even invest in a new pair, not only for myself, but for someone else.

There are no words to describe the pride I have when looking down at my shoes and knowing that my wearing this article of clothing has put shoes on the feet of someone who otherwise would have gone barefoot. An article cannot do justice to the feelings of gratitude and inspiration I have when supporting a brand such as TOMS and making even the slightest bit of difference in the lives of those less fortunate. There is nothing more fashionable than benevolence, nothing more chic than charity. I am wearing my TOMS not for the fashion statement, but the mission statement: for one, another.

Back in 2006, we did something really amazing. People like you and me, ordinary, everyday people who were looking for a way to help others and help ourselves, purchased a pair of TOMS. We joined together to discover and support Blake Mycoskie's brand by putting it on the map, in our hearts, and in the lives of people who were not granted the infinite blessings and gifts that we’ve been given. We made TOMS a more than a trend, we made it a movement. TOMS is, to this day, an incredibly successful organization, but it can be more than that; the charity and love that TOMS emits can be the cultural phenomenon it once was, and it’s up to us to do that.