Tom's Shoes: One for One

Brayan Gonzalez

Terry Krueger

WR 122

12 April 2014

Tom’s shoes: One for One

As a consumer in an ever-evolving society, advertisement and social media has programed Americans to always sport the latest fashion or trends. Most of the time people - which of course includes myself - try to present the world the best view of ourselves. Everyone, no matter how hard they try to deny it, is afraid that in some way they are being judged based on the articles they wear or the things they have so it’s a rarity when a well-known current fashion brand tries to break that notion by adding “meaning” or a “cause” to the product they sell. TOM’s shoe brand is doing just that. TOM’s induces the consumer to buy their products by constructing a lifestyle statement made with their goods, giving the consumer a sense of paying it forward to less fortunate, promoting uniformity, and catering to the younger generation’s thirst for individuality.

When visiting the brand’s online site, a young blonde woman who appears to be “one with nature” immediately greets us, she appears to be calm and relaxed and away from the bussing and churning the city-life emits. Even though you can’t see her face, her body posture conveys that she is content with who she is and where she is. We can deduce that she’d rather spend her time with the dirt and the trees then in some downtown bar full of strangers. Everything in the image, from how she wears her hair to even the light blue color clothes she is wearing (though they’re not TOM’s brand) say something about her and her personality. The whole ensemble put together says something along the line that she’s (as my sister would call it) very “bohemian chic” all the while sporting a pair of bright red TOM’s shoes.

Studying the image and really taking in every detail, I realized that in a way the image conjures up a feeling of serenity due to the green mountainous background. It makes one think that this girl is free of worldly attachments and...