“Since the beginning, TOMS has attracted a diverse group of social entrepreneurs, artists, and changemakers to be part of our movement,” says TOMS Creative Director John Whitledge. “We created this collection with the aim to make a cool weather sneaker that will help them keep moving forward.”
The Rio and Balboa make comfort a priority without sacrificing design details, like travel-inspired toggles, deconstructed lining, and a moc toe stitch not often found on a sneaker. Hints of street style are present too with the two-tone retro gum rubber outsole. The Paxton is a laid-back mid-cut slip-on that emphasizes versatility, ease, and comfort. Styles include unique detailing like quilted side panels, translucent outsoles, decorative tassels, tonal gum soles, and a leather rand.
In the campaign, Joshua and Sara bring us along for a day in their lives in their native cities of London and Berlin.
German model Sara Nuru is the ambassador of the Sara Nuru School, which has provided 1,100 students in Ethiopia with access to education since 2012. Last year, Sara started her own social startup, nuruCoffee, whose fair trade organic coffee supports women entrepreneurs in Ethiopia through sister organization nuruWomen.
Joshua Coombes is the founder of the movement #DoSomethingForNothing. He offers haircuts to people experiencing homelessness on city streets, listening to their stories and sharing them on social media. Since 2015, Josh continues to tell the stories of hundreds of people living on the streets, around the world.
“There are infinite possibilities to positively impact someone else’s life,” says John Whitledge. “As always, each pair of sneakers will help a person in need, but I hope they are also a reminder of the power we each have to make change with every step, in any season of the year.”
Launching October 1st, the Rio, Balboa, and Paxton are available in TOMS stores, select retailers and TOMS.com.
