We’re all familiar with TOMS Shoes, right? It’s the company launched by Blake Mycoskie’s that hand-delivers a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair of shoes purchased. It’s a widely recognized name now, and with good reason. My daughters really dig the shoes and love the underlying story of how they operate even more. But have you ever heard of Oliberté? I hadn’t either, until I read this article in GOOD.
Oliberté is a shoe company that, as GOOD calls it, is the “Anti-TOMS.” And while I’m not exactly endorsing the “anti” part of what TOMS is up to, Oliberté truly is onto something really important. The company acknowledges that TOMS is a good marketing tool, but this enterprise prides itself on providing jobs and putting a new spark into the African economy. When people are consistently relying on free shoe drops – which has likely become expected – the local economy can suffer because local shoe manufacturers and vendors can’t compete against “free”.
Certainly this isn’t the intention of great social innovators like Mycoskie, but it’s a good lesson that even with our best intentions and actions there is always the possibility of negative consequences. Don’t get me wrong: philanthropy is a powerfully important tool, but it’s not a process that is sustainable for the soul, the mind, or the nations involved. What Oliberté wants is to get rid of the “poor Africa” mindset and show people that even a grief-stricken continent that’s accustomed to hand-outs can produce beautiful shoes.
And beautiful they are. You’ll see on the Oliberté website that the shoes are over $100 USD, but that’s 100-plus dollars well spent. Each shoe is made with handpicked free-range leather. The rubber soles are natural, and much of the process is done by hand, stitching included. And that’s just the design of the shoe. Now listen to the behind the scenes design: around 50 percent of its workforce is comprised of women. The company provides job security, free lunches, tea breaks and maternity leave. And all of this all takes place in some of the poorest communities on our planet.
While TOMS Shoes is undoubtedly a company committed to social good, Oliberté takes it an important step forward; from giving the gift of shoes to giving the gift of a job, a purpose and a paycheck. With locally sourced materials and a devotion to being faithful to the environment (it even has a shoe-recycling program), perhaps the most important of all of Oliberté’s efforts is its intention to wean these poor nations from a dependency on aid and assist in transitioning the economies into more vibrant and stable forms of self sufficiency.
Oliberté is a fast growing company. It’s an outfit that we all should commend … and recommend! Check out the article. And then let’s go shopping!
