Shop For a Cause: Shoes

www.romaboots.com

In my online shopping experience, I have ordered shoes that came too big, phone cases that came months late and dresses that felt cheaper than toilet paper. Recently I received something in the mail that came on time, fit perfectly and looked like a thousand bucks. How could it get any better? Roma is a footwear company that gives a pair of rain boots to a child in Romania or Eastern Europe when someone purchases the boots. In the cold and rainy country of Romania, kids often walk to school and get frostbite on their feet. Roma boots is an organization founded by Samuel Bistrian who was once a poverty-stricken child from Romania. Founded in 2010, the organization has minimal colors and started selling larger sizes just last month. I believe this company could really take-off because of the similarities to Toms in terms of the charitable appeal and the visual similarity to Hunter boots. Hunter boots and Roma boots both have exceptional quality and are similar in price. I strongly advise anyone looking for a new pair of rainboots to consider Roma boots and it might be your best online purchase as well.

www.toms.com

My main purpose in writing reviews on charitable companies is to promote the products to get them trending. However, one would say Toms already has a good following. I know their charity is thriving and their shoes have taken off in several different styles, but my favorite part of Toms isn’t the shoe or the popularity, but the founder. Blake Mycoskie is a mastermind. He prompted the charitable company trend, made international giving look cool and wrote a book about it. I admire his creativity and how it has inspired people (including me) to pursue charitable work.

www.ropesouls.com

Rope Souls is an old company with new potential. The founders originally quit their jobs and sold their belongings in preparation for an adventure. The adventure lead to the founding of Rope Souls and the company took on the charitable side as they employed Ethiopian adult orphans to make the shoes. Recently, “indie” has become trendy, granola is the goal and chacos transitioned from a camp-thing to an everyday-thing. I believe Rope Souls can catch onto this movement as the beachy, naturey shoes have iconic potential. The shoe has a rope sole and criss-cross ropes on the top of the sandal. There is one style of shoe with different colors that is perfect for any nature exploration activity.