Thanks to Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, vintage clothing and accessories have seen a resurgence, and everything second-hand became wardrobe gems. Girls would raid their mothers' closets and flock to Salvation Armys and Goodwills for cheap and chic finds.
But one problem with this trend is that it's difficult to discern between fashionable and outdated. The key reminder here is: just because it's old, doesn't mean it's vintage.
One girl who gets it right all the time is Karla, who runs the blog aptly named Karla's Closet. Most of what she wears is second-hand or vintage, but she's always meticulous in putting together her outfits. Vintage dresses are complemented with in-season Prada heels, or sunglasses with modern shapes. She never looks like a blast from the past, but always like a worthy homage to fashion predecessors. And she is extra careful with the used clothing she selects; with a strict eye for quality and detail, the girl will never be caught dead in drab hand-me-downs.
Toms are a shoe company that makes comfy-cool casual slip-on footwear. But what you probably know the company better for, is its deep roots in community work, and more specifically Toms' one-for-one campaign.
The idea is simple: buy one pair of shoes, and Toms will give one pair to a child in need.
But even with their incredible success, these shoe people are not resting on their laurels. They've created an entire social movement, with "One Day Without Shoes" and have constantly churned out interesting collaborations with celebrities like actress Charlize Theron, musician Brandon Boyd and clothing brand Element. "In 2006, American traveler Blake Mycoskie befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One. Blake returned to Argentina with a group of family, friends and staff later that year with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by TOMS customers."
- Toms' website
Something that is truly empowering to learn from this is that this entire business started with one idea, one trip to Argentina and most importantly, one man. Just goes to show that we all have the ability to exact the change that we desire in the world. It's just about walking the talk, and having insurmountable passion for something.
Here's how it all started, in case you folks need a little jolt in starting your own little (for now) global change.
