Toms has always been about giving back, providing shoes to a child in need for every pair sold, but now the Venice, CA-based brand is taking things a step further. Sparked by Heather Mycoskie’s passion and love for animals (wife of Toms Founder Blake Mycoskie), the Toms Animal Initiative is a series of partnerships planned to conserve and protect animals by raising funds each year.
First up, the brand has teamed with Virunga National Park on a collection of Classics in aid of mountain gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo, who are threatened by poachers and habitat destruction. Available in natural or khaki green, each shoe features Virunga’s logo, an embroidered version of one of the mountain gorillas the initiative is fighting to save. The collection is available now on toms.com, at the brand’s brick-and-mortar stores in Venice and Austin, and at the LA Zoo retailing for $42 to $48 for kids and $64 for adults.
