“Toms has always done collaborations but nothing with animals,” explained Heather Mycoskie on the beginnings of the brand’s new animal initiative, which officially launched on Thursday, May 8, at the brand’s outpost on Abbot Kinney in Venice. “I kept bugging Blake [Mycoskie, founder of Tom’s and Heather’s husband] about doing something with endangered species or domestic cats and dogs, so he suggested I spearhead it myself,” she added. The program will raise funds for two different endangered animals every year, each of which will be selected by Heather, with the first campaign supporting the mountain gorillas of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park. Heather and her husband had intended to visit the park while traveling in East Africa, but due to the violence in the Congo, they were unable to safely enter the region. “We weren’t able to visit Virunga, but we were still able to see some of the gorillas while in Rwanda, standing only 15 feet away from them at times,” she said.

Toms Marketing Manager Lizzy Schofding explained that years of war in East Africa has increased the need for protection of the species in recent years. “There are only about 800 left in the world, and most of them live in the Virunga area,” she said. “With all of the violence going in the Congo, the park rangers are doing everything they can to protect them. Heather and Blake also wanted to help,” she noted. The Animal Initiative collection kicks off with forest green-and-cream-colored canvas slip-ons with a bright orange embroidered gorilla logo. Heather explained her inspiration for the design. “It’s actually the same logo seen on the sleeves of shirts worn by the park rangers at the national park,” she said. Each pair of shoes from the new collection will continue the company’s well-known philanthropic mission (one pair is donated for each pair purchased), while also providing monetary support to the national park and its efforts to protect the wildlife and habitats of the Virunga region.

By Megan Meyer

 

Pictured: Heather Mycoskie at the Toms Animal Initiative launch party at the label’s Venice boutique.
Photo by: Joe Scarnici For Getty Images 

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