11/18/2023 0 Comments Blake scott red wedge sandals![]() I feel like I’ve hit a stage in my life where I want to have a more well-rounded existence. The idea of starting all over again isn’t as exciting as it was when I was a little younger. I started my first business when I was 19, and I’ve been an entrepreneur for 15 years. Whether he would ever launch another new company: There is a lot of negativity out there, but the truth is that all great things start out with a great idea. His biggest piece of advice to aspiring entrepreneurs: It was such a special experience to do a collaboration with them.” Ralph Lauren, from a classic American style point of view, is a great company. He was doing social activist campaigns before it was cool, and I give him a lot of credit for using his brand to raise awareness of important issues. There have been a couple of times where I’ve been at a crossroads and I’ll call Kenneth and he says, ‘Let’s have breakfast and talk about it.’ He has a great soul. “Kenneth Cole has become a good friend and a good mentor. The ultimate dream would be for people to talk about Toms the way they talk about Patagonia.” They’re still a private company they haven’t gotten too big and they never took on investors. It keeps me focused on why we started and what we’re doing. Their founder, Yvon Chouinard, wrote a book called ‘Let My People Go Surfing,’ and I read that once a year. We played soccer for an hour, just me and the kids - no journalists, no photographers. I remember that as an athlete growing up, it was always exciting to get new gear or shoes, and now they got to experience that same joy of getting something that helped them do their sport better. ![]() But they wanted to show me how much better they were playing because of their new shoes. Instead of grass, there were rocks it was very rugged. I finally followed, and they took me to the back of their school, where there was a soccer field. “These three boys, even after they had their shoes, kept pulling on me to come with them. So I’ve been spending more time disappearing. Every time I get recognized at the airport or on the street, it’s cool, and I don’t want to take that for granted, but it’s also draining. “It’s funny, in the past 18 months, I’ve become much more introverted. “I don’t want it to be the Blake show,” he said. We’re a movement, not a company.”Īnd while Mycoskie is at the center of that movement, it isn’t always easy to be its very public brand ambassador. Most shoe companies would freak out and worry that they weren’t making money off that. You go to these campuses and the students have made T-shirts and flags, all kinds of things. “We really struck a chord with young consumers who want to incorporate giving into their personal identity,” said Mycoskie, who lives on a sailboat in Southern California and has shed many of his personal possessions. ![]() Mycoskie’s outreach has centered on college students, a group that has fueled the company’s rapid growth. “This customer is very socially aware, wants to make a difference and loves the brand.” “Our customers are passionate about Toms and believe in the mission of giving shoes to kids in need,” said Scott Meden, EVP and GMM for shoes at Nordstrom, which is launching children’s shoes with Toms next month. ![]() The company’s founding mission - to give away a pair of shoes for every pair it sells - has resonated strongly with both retailers and consumers. It’s been a whirlwind journey for the 34-year-old, who went on a trip to Argentina in early 2006 to learn polo and came back with the idea for Toms after noticing that most of the country’s children lacked shoes. “More than anything, I like teaching, so this is a way for me to expand on some of the lessons we’ve learned.” I write every day it’s part of my process,” said Mycoskie, who has been working on the book for about a year. “I’ve been keeping journals since I was 15. (Details couldn’t be divulged until the final edits are made.) In it, he details the rise of Toms and chronicles other successful social entrepreneurs. In between riding the waves, Mycoskie put the finishing touches on the first draft of his forthcoming, as-yet-untitled book, which will be published by Random House. There’s so much more to do,” Mycoskie said, two weeks before the shoe drop, during an exclusive interview in Montauk, N.Y., where he spent most of August “thinking, writing and surfing.” “From a business standpoint, this gives us legitimacy and says we’re here to stay. Da Brat Announces Pregnancy at 48 in Vintage Gangster-Inspired Suit, Bra & Lace-Up Brogues for Peopleįor Mycoskie, it’s still just the beginning. ![]()
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