By Gloria Nicola

Seven years ago, Blake Mycoskie, a young entrepreneur, was running a software company. While on vacation in Argentina, he met kids who couldn’t go to school because they didn’t have shoes. “To me, that was crazy,” he notes. “I grew up middle class in Arlington, Texas, and had never witnessed such poverty. Then I met a group of student volunteers collecting shoes for these children, and I began working with them.”

Because of his background as an entrepreneur, Mycoskie decided to start his own shoe company TOMS based on the “One for One” concept. For each pair of shoes sold, TOMS donates one pair of shoes to a child in need. The name “TOMS” is derived from the word “tomorrow” and evolved from the original “Shoes for Tomorrow” concept. “We sell shoes today and give away a pair tomorrow, but that was too long so the name became TOMS,” Mycoskie explains. “To date, we have given away more than 15,000,000 pairs of new shoes to children.”

Ever since Mycoskie founded TOMS, he realized the One for One program could be used as a model for more categories than shoes. “It could and should address other needs around the world,” he notes. “Vision was a logical next step. Sight is a fundamental need and an area I’m acutely aware of. I had vision problems as a child and used contact lenses and glasses, neither of which I was comfortable with. Then I had RK surgery when I was 22. It was like a miracle. I could see clearly for the first time. I wanted to give that chance to other people. So I started looking at the countries where we were giving away shoes. I realized eyewear was an awesome opportunity to address a need that affects 285 million people worldwide,” Mycoskie says.

TOMS began its eyewear venture in 2011 with sunglasses and has recently introduced an optical collection (see What’s New in May 20/20). TOMS has also partnered with Baumvision, the designated North American sales and distribution agency for TOMS optical frames and sunglasses. “We decided to partner with Baumvision because I’m new to the optical experience, and I think it’s important to work with people who have a good infrastructure in place and are also the right cultural fit for the business. I met Shane and knew we were like-minded, and he would work well with us.”  Shane Baum, president and founder of Baumvision, adds: “Our company’s mission statement professes a commitment to work with credible artists of absolute integrity. Not only does TOMS epitomize such a philosophy, but the TOMS eyewear collection is focused on great quality and brings an exciting and much needed element of giving to our industry.”

For Mycoskie, the new eyewear collection is a fantastic opportunity for consumers to buy what they need and also give others the gift of sight, which includes surgery, medical treatment and prescription glasses. Currently the program has helped restore vision to more than 200,000 people around the world.

With its commitment to eyewear, TOMS has also made a commitment to the optical community. “Our motto is ‘preserving the optical experience.’ We want to embrace the optical community and work directly with opticians in helping people see better,” Mycoskie emphasizes. “We do not sell our optical frames online. We partner with the best optical shops, and our website directs those interested in buying prescription frames to optical locations in their area. Our goal is to deliver the highest quality product. Eyewear is part of a person’s identity, and it is important that everything from the hinges to the colorations to the buying experience be the best possible.”



Mycoskie sees TOMS’ customer base as very elastic. “We sell in Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus and Whole Foods as well as in a lot of mall stores. We also have a TOMS store in Venice, Calif., and one in Austin, Texas, with plans for more, including in New York City. Our customers can be a soccer mom, a college kid or a grandfather, all with different styles. With any demographic category, there is a group of people who want to give back. We want to reach those people whatever their demographic,” he stresses.

To reach such a broad customer base, the company is focusing on timeless, iconic and very wearable designs with an emphasis on classic silhouettes. “We define classic as a shape that had relevance 30 years ago and will be equally relevant 30 years from now,” Mycoskie notes. “By creating classic, high-quality designs at affordable price points ($145 to $199 retail), we make it easy to participate in our movement and maximize TOMS’ ability to fund sight-restoring treatments.”

Although classic is key to the TOMS eyewear design philosophy, Mycoskie feels it’s important to give a twist to the designs. With the eyewear collection, the twist is stripes on the temples. The stripe on the front of the temple represents the buyer, the stripe on the temple tips signifies the person whose vision is being helped, and the stripe in the middle with the TOMS logo symbolizes the company, which brings the two together. “We want those stripes to be an iconic part of the eyewear and the buying experience,” Mycoskie notes. “The stripes are the first thing you see when you put the eyewear on, and it reminds you and others what your purchase has accomplished. Our shoes have the blue and white TOMS flag, but we didn’t want a big logo on the eyewear.”

The design direction of the eyewear reflects Mycoskie’s personal sense of style, he notes. “To me, personal style is feeling comfortable in what you wear. I like classic, casual designs. And I think consistency is important. It adds to the feeling of comfort.”

For his sunwear, however, he does like variety. “My wife laughs and says, ‘you never wear the same pair of sunglasses twice.’ But I like getting feedback about the various styles we offer.”

What has helped reinforce Mycoskie’s strong commitment to the optical community is the company’s participation in Vision Expo East. “I was amazed. It was much bigger than I expected, and there are so many brands out there. We had a lot of fun with our life preserver motif, emphasizing the importance of preserving the eyewear experience. But what really impressed me was how passionate eyecare professionals are about helping people with vision needs. I was also impressed with the brand recognition for the TOMS name. Every person I talked with knew about TOMS shoes. So we definitely have the name recognition. Now we just have to get the eyewear out there so the quality, reasonable price points and the giving philosophy can speak for themselves,” he explains.

Asked what tips he would give to retailers selling TOMS Eyewear, he says simply: “Tell the story. I stress to retailers that it’s important to capitalize on the brand awareness. You can’t just display the products. You have to tell the story. Use photos and videos from giving trips as part of the POP. Put the TOMS flag in the window. There is such high brand awareness that the logo will get people in the door to see the eyewear.”

In addition to shoes and eyewear, TOMS has recently established TOMS Roasting Company, adding coffee to its product roster. With every bag of coffee purchased, TOMS gives one week of clean water to a person in need.

If Mycoskie were to change careers, he would like to work in microfinance, giving loans to entrepreneurs and small businesses lacking access to traditional banking services.

“But I hope I don’t have to change careers. I’m very passionate about TOMS and what we are accomplishing,” he stresses.

What he does plan to do eventually is expand the One for One concept into other areas, but not for a while. “For now, our focus is on our current businesses, our giving philosophy and on getting the optical message out there.” ■