The more astute AW reader might remember our little rant about the agony and the ecstasy of wearing slippers in public last week, which eventually segued into an endorsement of TOMS, and a mention of their latest venture in association with No-One. On Thursday, we attended the launch party for the aforementioned Rosy Nicholas-designed window display at the Shoreditch boutique, and you’ll be happy to hear that we managed to wear legitimate, outdoor footwear while doing so – the focal point of the evening, however, was a slightly less wearable kind of shoe, as attendees happily coloured in origami TOMS with felt tip pens, ably demonstrating that a slip-on shoe made from folded foolscap was a lot cuter in practice than it sounded (if you’ll pardon the pun) on paper. A map that was littered with minute flags served to remind anyone who’d bought TOMS of their own exactly where the corresponding pair was going; clusters of small, blue flags around the most poverty-stricken corners of the globe denoted areas in which pairs of shoes had been donated to children in need, as a direct result of TOMS’ “One For One” policy, ensuring that the warming sensation AW felt deep down in its collective gut wasn’t just down to the free red wine.
Oh, and speaking of our lack of commitment when it comes to serious footwear these days: tomorrow is TOMS’ annual “Day Without Shoes”, for which they’re throwing a party at Jaguar Shoes in Shoreditch, from noon ’til late. We’re not entirely sure that we’re ready to eschew footwear entirely, but we’re willing to at least rock a pair of slipper sox in solidarity.
One Day Without Shoes takes place tomorrow worldwide; take part by tweeting, blogging and Facebooking your support. The event at Jaguar Shoes begins at noon. Images by Jeff Metal.
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