Friday, February 6, 2009

TOMS & Element

AWESOME



TOMS Shoes + Element Skateboards are thrilled to announce the launch of a One for One Collaboration. Both influential brands are teaming up to help children around the world by giving shoes and skateboards using the TOMS One for One model¬ – shoes to protect feet from disease and skateboards to provide an alternative to the hardships of their daily life.

For every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need. As part of the One for One Collaboration, for every skateboard purchased, Element will give a skateboard to a child in need.

The collection includes three limited edition women’s shoes, two men’s shoes and two skateboards; one performance deck and one longboard.

When TOMS Shoes Founder and Chief Shoe Giver Blake Mycoskie, and Element Founder Johnny Schillereff crossed paths, they realized their passions paralleled and their combined efforts could only strengthen the power of their messages. Both Element and TOMS, companies with roots in honest and ethical business, felt the One for One model would be the best way to create the greatest good to help those in need.

“While selling shoes and skateboards, the collaboration will hopefully inspire people to operate on a business model that is more socially aware,” Blake says proudly. “We would like to be examples of how small and large companies can work together in an unconventional way to make a difference.”

Johnny agrees, “Yes, we’ll give away a lot of shoes and skateboards, but like Blake said, more importantly, other people will see this happening and will learn from the experience. Hopefully the idea of sharing and helping will become viral.”

Element and TOMS are looking forward to the launch of this One for One Collaboration and planning their first collaborative Shoe and Board Drop in Durban, South Africa, one of the world’s most dangerous cities.

Element has already made a footprint in Durban by giving significant monetary and product donations to the Indigo Skate Camp, a safe haven for children as an alternative to their daily life on the streets in Durban.

In just two and a half years, TOMS has given over 130,000 pairs of shoes to children in Argentina, South Africa, Ethiopia and the USA.

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