TOMS THE HIPPIES FAVORITE SHOEMAKER a FOCUS IN THE FAM Dude
by Amy Tennery
Is Blake Mycoskie officially the CEO most disconnected from his client base?The founder and head honcho over at TOMS shoes may not be the lefty, hippie, free-love kind of dude that his legions of clients (i.e., 90 percent of San Francisco) think he is. Nope, gang: Mycoskie is a supporter of “Focus on the Family,” according to the folks over at Daily Intel. And what is this innocuous-sounding organization? Oh, you know, a right-wing, evangelical Christian, anti-abortion rights, anti-gay right rights non-profit. Huh.
Mycoskie first rose to popularity with his seamless, charitable company mission: to donate one pair of shoes for every pair sold. The simply designed slip-ons, which come in a variety of colors and patterns, became an instant hit with fashionistas and left-wingers alike.
With this in mind, it comes as a bit of a surprise that Mycoskie apparently hosted some kind of live interview with Focus on the Family’s president, Jim Daly, late last month.
That sound you’re hearing is half of Williamsburg throwing its shoes against the wall.
This kind of CEO versus customer discord is vaguely reminiscent of hipster retail guru and republican supporter Richard Hayne’s relationship with Urban Outfitters. Of course, as we all know, his “outing” as a conservative a couple years back hasn’t exactly slowed the brand.
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