TOMS Shoes has an aggressively philanthropic business model, giving one pair of shoes to a child in need for every single pair they sell. Their hugely successful line of canvas slip-ons and newly released “wrap boots” sell to major national retailers like Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters, American Rag, and Greenloop. Up until just last week, Founder Blake Mycoskie and team have flown to exotic locales like Argentina, South Africa, and Ethiopia to personally fit kids with brand new pairs of TOMS, distributing more than 85,000 pairs around the world.

Doing shoe drops abroad seemed to make the most sense to Blake, considering most kids in the US have access to shoes. He recently realized though that some American children, like victims of natural disasters, were stuck with ill-fitting hand-me-downs or had to share shoes with siblings. So Blake decided to finally bring his “shoe drops” home to the US by organizing a handful of TOMS signature DIY shoe parties, dubbed Style Your Sole, at four different school districts in Mississippi still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. Each child received a brand new pair of white canvas TOMS to paint in their own unique way. Needless to say, they were very excited! Another brilliant idea from TOMS.

Since 2001, Beyond Skin has been turning out handmade vegan and vegetarian shoes in their family-run factory in East London. To create a deeper level of sustainability with their product, their designers focus on creating durable, stylish footwear that can be worn year round, rather than seasonally.

In regards to their vegan materials and their resulting environmental footprint, Beyond Skin says, “Every attempt will be made to stay as informed as possible of more natural, organic fabrics as they are developed and become more available on the market. Our packaging is produced using materials from a sustainable source and all our promotional material is printed on recycled paper using soya based inks.”

Soya, that’s so British. Well, it sounds like they’re into the vegan thing, but not quite there yet with petroleum-free, chemical-free materials; though they do use some organic cotton. With their polyvinyl and synthetic leathers, Beyond Skin seems to consider every way they can make the more eco choice.

Well, they’ve certainly have turned out a gorgeous line of vegan shoes, so if nothing else we, can be cruelty-free and quite stylish with Beyond Skin.

(Is it just me or is the name “Beyond Skin” a little eerie for a vegan shoe company? Just checking.)

For two years, TOMS Shoes has been a shining example of a For Benefit company. Toms has a One For One program; for every pair of their Argentinian-style canvas shoes (known as alpargatas) sold, one pair of TOMS is given to a child in need. Founder Blake Mycoskie and team have travelled to Argentina and South Africa for their soon-to-be-famous “shoe drops,” where they fit the kids personally with the new shoes.

This season, Blake’s come up with a new out-of-the-box design-”The Wrap Boot.” Inspired by his polo playing days in Argentina, Blake modeled The Wrap Boot after the “polo wraps” wound around the bottom of a horse’s cannon bone during a match, which serve as both decoration and tendon support. The Wrap Boot is made with a classic alpargata base and a stretched elastic upper with velcro closures, and comes in five colors. If you’re a TOMS fan, welcome to your new Winter shoe.

With the launch of this new boot, Blake has made it a TOMS Shoes mission to eradicate Podoconiosis, a debilitating condition found primarily in rural districts of Ethiopia which causes swelling and ulcers in the lower legs and feet. The disease is 100% preventable by wearing shoes that are able to keep the soil completely away from the skin, so TOMS has pledged that for every pair of wrap boots purchased, they will give a pair of specially-designed footwear to an Ethiopian in need.

In addition to playing polo, this Renaissance man also has a past with screenwriting and directing, so Blake headed back to Argentina to shoot a short film to promote his new shoe. If you’re in SoCal, there is a screening tonight of No Polo Widow at Huntington Surf and Sport in Huntington Beach starting at 6pm. The Toms team will be there in full swing with music, food, drinks, and of course, shoes. Vicky and Fernando Aguerre (Founder of Reef) will be hosting. The film is a little bit Disney, a touch Almoldovar, and a healthy dose of 80′s style Cinemax after hours. Fyah. If you are one of the billions of people who do not live in Southern California, you can check out the scintillating No Polo Widow right here on In The Loop…

No Polo Widow from TOMS Shoes on Vimeo

Born and Raised: Ridgewood, NJ
Founded Line: 1997
Studio Location: San Diego, CA
Number of Staff: 7
Design Heroes: hate knock-off artists, love original design concepts

Surfers are at the mercy of two of nature’s greatest forces: wind and water. Cliff Drill,”El Presidente” of Splaff Flopps, is at the mercy of very little, sans his supply of recycled foam and old drag racing tires. This Jersey native has transplanted himself to San Diego, one of the world’s most consistently gorgeous climates, in order to ride waves, hang with his homies, and make the most righteous eco-conscious flip-flops. Period.

What materials exactly make up the Splaff Flopp? Are they really 100% recycled?

Splaff Flopps are constructed from recycled car tires, recycled bicycle inner tubes, and natural hemp fabrics. They are approx 95% recycled content.

Tell us about the moment that you decided to turn an old race car tires into shoes?

I was on a surf trip with some friends in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We drove by a Huaracheria, a place where they make traditional mexican sandals called huaraches. Huaraches use recycled car tires for the soles and leather for the uppers. I asked my friends to pull over. I had always been obsessed with the concept of making the soles of shoes from old tires. I asked the owner of the shop, Jose, if he would teach me how to make tire shoes. He agreed and I apprenticed for him for 3 weeks…the rest is history.

Where and how do you source the tires?

All of our tires are recycled in the USA. We try to source our recycled tires locally. I try to keep lines out with all the local sources of recycled tires. Every year we use different tires. This year we are using old drag racing tires.

How has surfing inspired your design choices?

The surfing life style is what inspired me to make flip flops, instead of dress shoes, boots, high heels, running shoes, etc. For surfers, flip flops are the only viable form of footwear. I wanted to make very modest but durable flip flops for true hard core surfers….no flash….no big brand names….just a solid product.

Born and Raised: Pecatonica, Illinois
Founded Line: 2005
Studio Location: Chicago
Number of Staff: 3
Design Heroines/Heroes: Ray Eames, Lara Miller, Stella McCartney, and too many “indie” designers to mention

Annie Mohaupt is just not your average fashionista. A few years back, this professional architect made her own skateboard…just for kicks. In the fall of 2005, for the Renegade Craft Fair, Annie made kicks that looked just like a skateboard. This DIY extraordinaire enjoyed making these wooden shoes so much, that she left architecture and became a full-time cobbler. Two years later, Mohop shoes is a booming business, or as booming as booming can be when your operation only turns out 8 pairs of shoes a day…Annie and company handcraft each pair of soles-wedges, flats, and heels in 3 heights. The customer gets to choose 5 sets of interchangeable laces to go with her pair of soles. An imaginative shoehound can have white slip-ons or gold gladiators; she can have classic black sandals, or rainbows and polkadots-all with just one pair of shoes! Mohops are for the creatively minded, the environmentally sensitive, or the very thrifty (think 5 pairs of handcrafted shoes for $225-that’s $45 a pair!) As the Mohop tagline states: “a new pair of shoes…every day.” Love that.

How is the Mohop line sustainable?

In a couple ways: The main materials are domestically-sourced FSC-certified wood and recycled rubber from tires. The glues and sealers are as eco-friendly as currently possible, and no leather is used – factory farming and typical tannery processes are quite detrimental to the environment. Additionally, the shoes offer many design options with the ribbon ties, so one can appear to have a huge wardrobe of sandals without consuming all the resources required for the masses of footwear that many girls dream of. Finally, the shoes are made in the USA by skilled artisans – no sweatshops involved.

What inspired you to design shoes using more eco-friendly modes and materials?

I essentially just started making shoes on a whim. As I experimented with different materials, I was happy to see that the materials I prefer also happened to be eco-friendly. I didn’t set out to make a green shoe company; I make shoes that happen to be green because I’ve found that eco-friendly materials are the most interesting to work with. Although I should admit that I am the bicycle-riding-vegan-type, so I suppose I do have a predisposition to these types of materials and processes…

Describe the look and concept of the line.

The idea is that these sandals can appeal to a wide range of women. Since the choices for green footwear are still pretty slim compared to the overall shoe industry, I wanted to make sandals that women with a wide variety of tastes and styles would be able to wear comfortably. Due to all the different tying options, every woman can achieve a one-of-a-kind look and custom fit.