Africa, I will miss you!

The past month has been an absolute blur for me, filled with more excitement, sadness, anger, and sheer joy than I have ever felt in my life. Africa, I will miss you!

As part of TOMS latest Shoe Drop, I traveled with friends, family, TOMS staff and so many other AMAZING people to South Africa. Over a 30 days period, we crisscrossed the country – driving, and flying, and pretty much always moving – from Johannesburg, to Port Elizabeth to Durban to many small villages and townships along the way. In total, we hand delivered 50,000 shoes to kids in need! We met these children in orphanages, schools, community centers, and along the side of the road.

I have so many moments that I would like to share with you, but before I do so, I would like to spotlight the experiences of other volunteers on the trip:

Sean writes:

“Today we went to a school for the disabled and discovered it was the first school of its kind in the entire region. There are over 1,000 disabled kids on record for this area and estimates suggest there are many many more thousands who are unaccounted for. Only 22 of them get to go to school. That is where we went. At some point there was a miscommunication and we only ended up with 2 sizes of shoes at the school. We were trying to make it work and I went to this one boy in a wheelchair who had, quite simply, the most horrific feet I've ever seen. It was obvious no person had touched his feet to clean them in many months. I had a moment of panic when I saw them and a compulsive need to cover them with shoes. The size 10 was so tight I couldn't get it on but that was all we had. When I looked up at the boy I realized that, though he couldn't speak, he wanted those shoes far worse than I wanted to give them. The internal panic was overwhelming as I stretched and pulled on the seams of this stupid shoe in order to make it fit. By the time it finally got on his feet my heart was beating out of my chest and I was covered in sweat. But I looked up and his eyes were as joyful as any I've ever seen… I'll never forget that moment as long as I live."

Liza writes:

“The last place we went today was a house run by a woman who feeds close to 400 of the village’s children. These children receive porridge that has the vitamins and nutrients that they need. Without these meals twice a day, the children would have nothing to eat. When we drove away from the village, a little girl came down the rocky hill wearing her little red-and-white stripe TOMS. I thought about snapping a picture with my camera, but no camera was needed. The moment was priceless… We are giving these children shoes, but they are giving us so much more. I can only hope that every day will be as memorable as today!”

I would like to give a shout out to Esther Havens for taking the photographs below... and capturing so many of images, thoughts and feelings that I could never describe in words. You can see more of Esther's stuff on myspace at http://www.myspace.com/estherhavensphotography.

People’s Design Choice Award

I cannot tell you how grateful I am to everyone that voted and helped to make TOMS the People’s Design Choice Award Winner! I am both honored and humbled that TOMS beat out the iPhone, IBM Think Pad, and so many other ingenious designs to win this award. Thank you to everyone that made this the closest race in the history of the award. The voting was so close that they actually extended the deadline to allow for a tie-break.

It is hard to believe how far this company has come. It seems like yesterday that I was running around in Argentina with Alejo trying to learn how to make shoes… and now Isaac Mizrahi, one of the greatest designers in the world, is presenting me an award on behalf of TOMS!

I am usually so calm speaking in front of crowds – I’ve been doing it since my first business, EZ Laundry, when I would walk from sorority house to sorority house telling rooms of girls about my company (talk about intimidating). I haven’t been this nervous in a long time… I was just praying that I wouldn’t trip going up to the stage, or completely freeze up, or try and speak and only have gurgling noises come out. Thankfully none of that happened…

Take a look at my acceptance speech here.

I say this on the video, but I am only one component of the TOMS story. I am so thankful to my family – my dad, my mom, and my brother Tyler, and my sister, Paige – for always supporting me, no matter how crazy my ideas. TOMS has so many AMAZING employees that work from early in the morning to late at night to make sure that everything runs smoothly. It's funny now, but this company started with just myself and three interns that I found on Craigslist. I feel so blessed to have everyone that we do. You guys are truly my FAMILY. And, of course, I am thankful to everyone that has bought a pair of TOMS and has found joy in telling the TOMS story to their friends and family. This company and this award would not be possible without you guys!

Clinton Global Initiative

TOMS has brought me many exhilarating experiences, from giving 10,000 children shoes in Argentina to being featured in a publication like People Magazine… and this experience ranks right up there. For the last three days, I have attended the Clinton Global Initiative, an event hosted by President Bill Clinton in NYC. CGI (as it is called for short) brings together 1000 world leaders to raise awareness for the planet's most challenging problems and to set real goals for solving these issues.

In attendance was everyone from Lauren Bush (my dear friend who created the FEED Bag) to Prime Minister Tony Blair, to Mohammad Yunus (the incredible economist who started the Grameen Bank) to senators, religious leaders and even Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie!

I highly recommend that you take a look at the CGI site… they have podcasts of all of the panel discussions and speeches. Here is the link: 2007 CGI Annual Meeting Highlights.

As part of CGI, every participant that goes has to make a commitment that they promise to fulfill in the next year… and those that don’t live up to their promises are not allowed to return to the conference. Its pretty intense stuff. TOMS' commitment is to give 50,000 pairs of shoes to children in children in South Africa and 25,000 children in Ethiopia in the next 12 months! This is ambitious, but with so many amazing supporters, I know that we can do it... there is too much at stake not to get it done.

Take a look at President Clinton’s closing speech. You can me just rows away from the stage…

58 days to Africa!

If you have ever seen the movie The Family Man with Nicholas Cage, you know the song that I am about to reference. It is by the Talking Heads and is one of those songs that you find yourself, for absolutely no reason at all, humming in the shower.

Due to the wondrous powers of the internet, I was able to hunt down the exact words to the chorus:

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful Wife
And you may ask yourself-well...how did I get here?

I mention all of this because I am currently looking at a picture of myself on page 130 of People Magazine. PEOPLE MAGAZINE! The magazine has Owen Wilson on the cover and is due out any day now.

I cannot tell you guys how grateful I am for this experience. This past year-and-a-half has been surreal. It felt like yesterday that I was working out of my apartment in Venice with three interns that I found on Craigslist. TOMS now has 16 full time employees, a large office building, a professional phone system, and if all goes well, a working fax machine in the coming days. I feel so blessed.

I have spent so much time on the road these past few months that I often feel like Nicholas Cage in that movie. Sometimes it feels too good to be true.

So, yes, before I start blubbering, I would just like to thank everyone at People for putting me in their magazine, and all of you for reading this blog. I know that I have said this before, but I am going to start updating this journal every week or so. (double pinkie swear).

Countdown to South Africa: 58 days!

Carpe Diem,

Blake

SIGN UP FOR HOUSE PARTY TODAY

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

There is something completely beautiful about coming home after a long trip and just basking in simple comforts: like sleeping in your own bed, and taking a hot shower, and putting on clean underwear. In short, IT FEELS GOOD TO BE HOME!

The Airstream trip was better than I could have possibility hoped. We met so many dedicated/amazing people that are excited by TOMS. It is crazy to think that less than 14 months ago TOMS did not exist! I had no idea that this would get so big; and now 4th grade students in Florida are talking about giving shoes to kids in Argentina, and people that I have never met are throwing TOMS themed birthday parties (like Ellice in New York), and artists are using TOMS as a canvas for their creativity. And Zak, my beautiful friend Zak, is now a LEGEND in department stores across the country.

(As a side note, we are thinking of creating a life-sized cardboard-cut-out of Zak and sending it to all of the department stores that he will be visiting in the fall. Can you imagine the expression on peoples� faces? Priceless, I tell you).

In any event, I have so much to say about the trip that cannot possibility be summed up in one post� I promise that I will fill you guys in the near future.

Before I go, however, I want to encourage all of you guys to SIGN up for HOUSE PARTY. On July 28, 1000+ parties will be held at the same time around the country to promote TOMS' commitment to delivering shoes to kids in need. As part of the event, every partygoer will be designing a white pair of TOMS. I have promised to personally fly out (thankfully not drive in the Airstream, lol) to the party that signs up the most number of people.

--------------------->>>>>>>>Click Here to Sign UP!!!

Everyone has a shot to win Limited Edition Shoes (autographed by yours truly). Also, we will be creating a Limited Edition shoe from the best/most creative design that one of y'all makes.

If you are still reading this, you must SIGN UP FOR HOUSE PARTY. The DEADLINE is this WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20TH. This is by far our biggest initiative of the summer, and a great way for you to kick it with your friends and share a little love in the process.

And with that, I must be off. Since I last left, TOMS has moved into another office, and went from 5 to 15 employees, with so-to-be 30 interns from all around the country. Rather than botching everyone's name, I have decided to take a Polaroid of all the new faces and post it on my wall.

This is going to be good.

What I have learned

Fashion is an expression of who you are and how you feel. What you wear sets the tone for your whole day. I never understood this until I took this cross country trip. Over the past 75 days, I have met so many people, each with their own sense of style. What I have learned from my new friends is this:

1. Style does not mean having the "latest" items, designer brands, or hottest trend.

2. Fashion can be as expensive or as cheap as you want it to be. $$$$ does not necessarily add style. How you wear it does.

3. One amazing accessory speaks louder than a whole outfit.

4. When possible, wear something that there is a story attached to, and not a story about the debt you incurred buying it.

5. Buy more clothes off ebay. Some of the girls I met with the best fashion sense across the USA taught me this trick.

6. Last, go to your closet TODAY, pick out everything you have not worn in the past 6 months and donate it to goodwill and/or the number of charities that help clothe men and women re-entering the work force. Think back to how much confidence that outfit gave you a few years ago and imagine someone else getting that joy for the first time. Do this TODAY. I promise it will make you smile, and make you feel better about the clothes left in your closet.

Today it is absolutely beautiful in Seattle. We are at the downtown Nordstrom stores, the flagship, and it feels good to be alive. I know Seattle does not get a lot of pristine sunny days, so I really am going to spend the afternoon encouraging people to GET OUT OF THE MALL and enjoy the day (after they pick up a pair of TOMS of course ☺)

2 weeks left and I am looking forward to some long hot showers and the cool breeze of the coast this summer.

Now I know it is clear that my keyboard has not been working so well the past month (by the absence of my blog entries) BUT THE VIDEO CAMERA HAS CAPTURED IT ALL.

Click Here to the latest episodes of the TOMS Tour Chronicle

The long lost blog

I do not know if you have ever been on an amazing vacation and upon returning; found it very difficult to talk about. I mean so many things happened and your experience so uplifting that even starting to describe your trip seems too daunting of a task. Well, the last 2 weeks have been like that for me, and now, as I sit in Panera Bread (free wireless by the way) in Newport, RI, I am struggling with what to report.

I guess I will start with Miami and our first Bloomingdales event where we met the lovely Leyla. Leyla is the manager of the shoe department and really knows her stuff (besides being gorgeous). After explaining to Zak that she is married, Leyla invested a lot of time after the store closed to give us great feedback on how to make TOMS fit better and what customers would like to see from us in the future. Needless to say, I took copious notes and we have already started working her suggestions into our Spring 08 designs.

During the Bloomindales event Zak left to get a quick snack. He came back with a haircut. It looked so good I decided to get one myself after our event. When we were leaving the salon, the cashier pointed to me and then to Zak, and said "mini me"? Neither of us understood what she was trying to say! later in the night we realized she was referring to Austin Powers and the fact that Zak and I had matching hair cuts! i immediately went to the drug store and bought some Rogaine.

Next stop was Heel Shoe Lounge. We had an event there and filmed a segment for a popular South Beach show called Decko Drive. During the taping I unintentionally exhibited my lack of "footwear knowledge" by picking up "wedge" shoe when the host asked for a "platform". Just a minute later my education continued when I found out what "limo" shoes were. They were not the classy black and white stilettos I pulled, but in fact a term used to describe very expensive and UNCOMFORTABLE shoes. Hence, the term limo was created since you would only wear these shoes from the limo to the restaurant and back into the limo (limited walking)� I can't understand why anyone would wear shoe that is that uncomfortable, but hey I don�t understand waxing, eye brow trimming, and other things such women who wear these shoes do regularly.

In Philly, we engaged in the ultimate taste test. Philly is known for its "cheese steak" and there is no place more famous than south Philly and the intersection where Genos and Pats sit head on in a fierce competition for the best cheese steak. Both establishments are family owned and have been around forever, and the truth is (after eating a foot long of both) they taste exactly the same. I know I will probably start receiving hate mail from each of their legions of fans, and possibly the Airstream will mysteriously ignite in flames during our next event, but now that I am a blogger, I feel a certain responsibility to report with great candor, and the truth is they taste the same�.

After eating 2 cheese steaks and feeling disgusting with myself, I decided Philly (The Home of Rocky) was the place to "get back in shape". We got lost looking for the Rocky statue, but we did find a swanky RV camp and some nice weather. What happened next can only be told in living color, so without further to do, I present you with the:

TOMS WORKOUT VIDEO! click here to view

Next stop! The Big Apple and our big night with Anne Slowey (Elle editor, trouble maker, and friend)

Adios,

Blake