Clothes, clothes, clothes

Cotton On Jeans

Draped cardigan…

How often do Bardot go on sale or refresh their lineup?

Locals weigh in on TOMS shoes trend

By Emily Hoover | ehoover@flagler.edu

For Flagler College junior Joshua Weaver, TOMS shoes are more than casual and comfortable shoes that complete every outfit and represent personal style—they promote a worthy cause that affects everyone, from the first world to the third.

“I first heard about TOM shoes when I was a senior in high school [in 2008],” he said. “I had a friend in a band that was sponsored by TOM shoes. I read their mission statement, loved their style and the one for one business model. I thought: ‘I love that idea. I’m going to buy them.’ ”

According to the TOMS shoes website, founder Blake Mycoskie traveled to Argentina in 2006. When he “befriended” the local children, the website said, he discovered “they had no shoes on their feet.” He decided, upon returning to the U.S., to create a shoe company that would “match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need,” a concept the company calls One for One.

As of September 2010, the TOMS shoe company has given 1 million pairs of shoes to needy children in developing countries, the website said in its 2010 Giving Report. The style of the shoe is inspired by traditional Argentinean shoes called “alpargatas.”

Weaver said he has accumulated 12 or 13 different pairs of TOMS shoes through personal purchase and gift cards, as well as a free pair through his youth group. He said he thinks the one-for-one concept separate TOMS shoes from other fashion trends and speak to the trend of social consciousness.

“Some people wear them for the cool factor,” Weaver, a fine arts and graphic design major, said. “I like them. I have a pair of botas, which are made very well. I don’t wear them because other people think they look good—I wear them for the cause. Some people don’t get it. They don’t understand how easy they have it.”

Flagler College junior Justin Register said he “is not opposed to the cause” behind TOMS shoes but also said he does not own a pair.

“I wanted a pair,” he said. “But two of my friends jumped on the trend, and I didn’t want to be in the TOMS shoes club.”

While Alyssa Murfey, another junior, said she tries to be “socially responsible,” she also said she bought her first pair of TOMS shoes—she picked out a glittery gold pair with her grandmother before Christmas—because they worked with her personal style. Murfey said she reads fashion magazines, but does not “center her wardrobe on what’s hot for spring.”

“People like to be both [fashion conscious and socially conscious],” Murfey said. “You know, everyone has TOMS; now I need a pair. It’s a bandwagon thing. But the good cause backed my purchase.”

Murfey, a communication major with a focus in public relations, said she likes to buy environmentally safe products when she can and enjoys “socially responsible projects” as a member of Flagler’s Students in Free Enterprise chapter, a campus organization that prides itself on its community service projects. However, she also said the for-profit business is unique in its charity model.

“[TOMS shoes] is geared to the consciousness of things,” she said. “They play into our options as consumers. Why wouldn’t you want to support a cause? Why wouldn’t you want to be a part of a social trend?”

Yet, Register, a theatre arts and religion and philosophy double major, said social consciousness is a trend that does not require real action.

“It’s counter-intuitive,” he said. “It’s like if we watch Michael Moore’s ‘Capitalism.’ We can watch these things that show us what’s wrong, but we’re still not acting. But if we find a pair of shoes in which a percentage of the proceeds benefit a child in need, then it’s an easy way to streamline our way into being socially conscious.”

He said social trends allow the followers to project the illusion of social consciousness. It’s all about appearance, he said.

“TOMS shoes is a convenient, trendy way [to be conscious], which is nice,” Register said. “But it’s all surface level. If we look like we want to be, we don’t have to actually be that thing.”

Junior McKay Stephan, who said he prefers Vans shoes to TOMS, agrees.

“A business built around a charity is a better way to show off for your peers,” Stephan, an economics major, said. “They’re monopolizing a stupid subculture. But, it is a clever business model — like fishing with dynamite.”

However, Weaver said he attempted to start a TOMS shoes club at Flagler upon transferring in 2009. Because Flagler already has a human rights club, he was denied accreditation. Now, Weaver said he spreads awareness to his friends and family through social media and word of mouth.

“We signed up through [the company],” he said, “but the school didn’t understand at the time. There wasn’t a huge scene around here, only in bigger cities. TOMS are huge around campus now, which is great.”

In response to TOMS shoes’ popularity, Goldfinch Boutique on San Marco Boulevard began selling them a year ago.

Amelia Fitt, who owns Goldfinch with her husband Steve, said TOMS shoes are popular for two reasons: they are fashionable and comfortable and the company “donates a pair of shoes to a child in need each time one is sold.”

She said because she believes in the impact of TOMS shoes, her business decided to sponsor the inaugural Barefoot Walk in St. Augustine, which will happen on April 5. She said she has “reached out” to other local organizations, including Flagler College, Communities in School and Campus Crusade for Christ to help organize the event.

“We care about others, especially impoverished children, and the conditions they have to live in,” Fitt said in an email. “We have two children ourselves so this cause is close to our hearts. We feel this is so much more than just giving money to individuals in Third World countries; it has a better effect. It enables children to attend school and better themselves to help make a difference in their own communities and realize their full potential.”

The TOMS shoes website said a leading cause for disease comes from “soil-transmitted diseases, which penetrate the skin through bare feet.” The website also said the company promotes education, because some children cannot go to school if they cannot afford shoes.

Murfey, who works in the Flagler’s Legacy store on St. George Street and said she wears her TOMS to work, will be at the event. She also said SIFE will be selling merchandise.

She said even if people base their decision to purchase on the fashion trend, TOMS shoes evokes social change.

“It’s still going to a good cause,” she said. “I’d rather follow TOMS than Marlboro or alcohol. You don’t have to be in the TOMS shoes club to wear them. I embrace the cause.”

Fitt agrees.

“It’s a win-win [situation] that TOMS look cool, feel great and help out children in need,” she said. “People who purchase should be aware. We make sure to let them know about the cause and TOMS had a lot of information included with each shoe.”

While some students, like junior Andreas Landers, do not care for the style, they support the cause.

“I’m all about practicality and they’re not sturdy enough for me,” Landers, a Spanish major, said. “But I like the cause. TOMS shoes are better than no shoes for those who don’t have any. It’s a smart way to do charity—make it trendy.”

Yet, Weaver said skeptics who accuse TOMS as being a marketing ploy do not accept that it is also a for-profit business working with nonprofit organizations in countries like Ethiopia, Cambodia, Honduras, Rwanda and the U.S.

“They had to make a profit,” he said. “Without that, millions wouldn’t have shoes. Blake [Mycoskie] ran the business out of his house before the business expanded. TOMS donates to needy children in America, too. A lot of people don’t realize that.”

While Weaver hopes that the Barefoot Walk will inspire locals—he participated in a TOMS shoes Barefoot Day last year—he agrees that the company blends a worthy cause with a fashion statement.

“Some people are now wearing TOMS when they used to make fun of me for it,” he said. “It’s a lot like vegetarianism. People say they’re environmentally conscious, but they throw a cigarette butt [on the ground]. But, we take shoes for granted. I think we take a lot for granted.”

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

FC Tampa Bay coach likes team’s makeup

By Eduardo A. Encina, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Thursday, March 31, 2011

---

Click here for reuse options!

Story Tools

Comments

Contact the editor

Email Newsletters
 

LARGO — When FC Tampa Bay announced the signing Monday of three more players — raising its number under contract to 19 — the personnel that will make up the club’s opening-day roster became clearer.

Already beset by serious injuries to M Jeremy Christie (hip surgery) and D Yendry Diaz (torn ACL), the signings of D Omar Jarun, F Warren Ukah and F Matt Clare, who was a trial player, added to the team’s experience and depth.

With two other trial players, M/D Shane Hill and M Tom Ahmed, still with the team, coach Ricky Hill seems satisfied to move on to the April 9 season opener against Montreal with the players he has.

“I look around and there’s a lot of maturity here,” Hill said. “There’s a lot of experience in the numbers.

“As a coach, I want them to be able to manage on the field, make decisions for themselves, organize on the field when necessary and, above all, communicate on the field. With the people we have, I think that will be achievable.”

Ukah, who adds attacking depth along with Clare, comes to Tampa Bay after spending the offseason playing indoors with MISL Baltimore. Jarun, 6 feet 5 and with good ball skills, brings experience to the back row. He most recently played in the Polish First League.

D J.P. Rodrigues, who has joined the team after playing with MISL Milwaukee, can play a variety of positions, including central defender and outside back.

“I don’t expect them to jell overnight,” Hill said, “but it’s always good to get accustomed to your teammates as quickly as possible.”

Clare impresses: Clare is the only trial player in camp to be offered a contract. With Aaron King the only striker remaining from last year’s team, Clare knew he’d have the opportunity to earn a roster spot.

“He’s very hungry to improve,” Hill said. “I like his movement and his intensity, and he has a nose for the goal. He can attack the goal from both sides. He’s always looking to get shots away, which for a striker is good. … He’s definitely got the tools to work with and develop. We’re very happy he’s here.”

Clare scored Tampa Bay’s tying goal in the 86th minute of a 1-1 preseason tie against Sweden First Division club BK Hacken.

“The experience I’ve had has been great,” Clare said. “Either way, making it or not, it still showed me where I stand as a player at this level. Walking into the office that day and them saying they wanted to offer me a contract was unbelievable.”

Timing, connections right: Jarun said his time with his team in the Polish First Division, Pogon Szczecin, ended when he had a falling out with the coach. That left him with two options: playing on the reserve team there or coming to the United States.

When Tampa Bay assistant David Hayes heard Jarun was looking, he called the player who was his teammate with Atlanta in the USL First Division a few years ago.

“David’s a great guy, and I know wherever he’s going to go, it’s going to be a professional organization,” Jarun said.

“He told me what they were doing, what their plans were, and I thought it was a good fit for me.”

KICKS IN THE GRASS: The uniform kits will be unveiled today. The road jersey will have a different look. … Tampa Bay is launching an advertising campaign that will include two 30-second commercials that will be seen on local TV. … The team will select a captain next week, and it’s likely to be a newcomer. … Tampa Bay will hold its first practice at Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg on April 7 but will continue to train regularly at Shimberg Park in Tampa.

[Last modified: Mar 30, 2011 11:03 PM]

Click here for reuse options!

Copyright 2011 St. Petersburg Times

Click here to post a comment

You must enable javascript to view and add comments.

Join the discussion: Click to view comments, add yours

#simplemodal-container a.modalCloseImg{ background:none; right:-16px; width: 30px; height: 30px; filter: progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.AlphaImageLoader(src=”/universal/images/modal-close.png”, sizingMethod=’scale’); }

To Email *

(Separate multiple emails with a comma)

Personal Message

Your Name *

Your Email *

 

 

Validation Code *

 
Send me a copy

 
 

H&M profits hit by cotton prices

31 March 2011
Last updated at 07:07 ET

Hm says it is focusing on growing market share

Swedish fashion retailer Hennes Mauritz has said its profits fell by 30% in the first quarter of the year.

The company blamed higher cotton prices and the “negative effect” of the strong Swedish krona.

During December to February, HM said profits dropped to 2.62bn kronor ($417m; £259m), from 3.54bn kronor in the same period a year ago.

In early Stockholm trading, shares in HM dropped 4% following the update.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

HM is taking a very large gamble to re-adjust its pricing and commercial proposition at a very difficult time for the industry”

End Quote
Simon Irwin
Analyst, Liberum Capital

The budget fashion firm also reported broadly flat sales at 24.5bn krona.

It was the third quarter in a row that the company had fallen short of its profit and sales forecasts.

Rising costs

A strong currency hampers international producers as it makes their goods more expensive to buy abroad and can lead to a reduction in demand.

HM was also hit by higher cotton prices and increased transportation costs.

The price of cotton has risen more than 140% over the past six months, while the price of crude oil is more than 30% higher than it was 12 months ago.

The world’s second-biggest fashion retailer by sales said it was aiming to increase its market share.

“Instead of passing on these costs increases to customers, we chose to strengthen our price position in order to build further on our strong market position for the long-term,” said chief executive Karl-Johan Persson.

Analysts had mixed views on the company’s strategy.

“HM is taking a very large gamble to re-adjust its pricing and commercial proposition at a very difficult time for the industry, said Simon Irwin from Liberum Capital.

“The near-term pain from this is clear in results, however there is little evidence that it is working in terms of driving customer perceptions or driving sales.”

However, Soren Lontoft Hansen from Sydbank believed the strategy was the right one.

“They should be able to take market share in the long term so, from my perspective, it’s a very good strategy,” he said.

Jessica Simpson Fashion Empire Predicted to Reach $1 Billion in Sales – EZ

Happy Birthday, Guitar Icon Eric Clapton, 66

Be the first to comment

Are these shoes too much for work

Shoes to go with my dress

Next Page »