Baby Phat Shoe Deal Ends October 29, 2009

From now through October 29, 2009, Baby Phat has a sale on their shoes - buy one pair at full price and get a second pair for 30% off! Check out BabyPhat.com for more info!

More Custom Design Shoes on Vans Slip-Ons

Our Punk Your Chucks post was a pretty popular one, and it featured a New York City artist who hand paints shoes with custom designs. Over at YourKicks.com, a Beverly Hills shoe company, each Vans slip-on shoe is also hand painted with custom unique designs using acrylic paints that are coated with a protective layer to preserve the artwork. From what I've seen, their work is extremely detailed and carefully crafted. If you're looking for originality and rare Vans, I would suggest checking out Your Kicks and seeing what they have to offer.

TOMS Shoes One for One Movement

TOMS Shoes is a shoe company with a mission: to provide a child in need with a new pair of shoes primarily to help prevent the contraction of diseases and infections. Many children growing up in developing countries come from families too poor to afford shoes or sandals, and walking around barefoot is the norm. However, debris and contaminated soil threaten the health of children walking barefoot when they get cuts and open sores on the soles of their feet.

"The leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted parasites which penetrate the skin through open sores. Wearing shoes can prevent this and the risk of amputation." - TOMS Shoes

In their One for One Program, with every pair of shoes you purchase from TOMS Shoes, TOMS will give a new pair to a child in need. A popular way that several groups of people have been gathering support for this movement is by holding "Style Your Sole" parties.



At these Style Your Sole parties, people get together to customize their own blank TOMS shoes - and whether it's to express their creativity, create memorabilia for showers or parties, or just to have fun, all of the shoes purchased for these events still go towards the One for One movement. The white canvas classics are recommended for these get-togethers because they are the easiest to decorate and customize. They are $44 per pair, but orders of 25 pairs or more will receive 10% off. For more tips and information on how to hold your own Style Your Sole party, check out TOMS Shoes website.

Brad Pitt's New Monogrammed Shoes

Brad Pitt was recently photographed wearing a pair of suede monogrammed shoes with his initials BP, given to him as a gift from one of his assistants. He was out at a photocall with director Quentin Tarantino for their latest movie, Inglourious Basterds, at the Kursaal Palace on September 18, 2009 in San Sebastian, Spain. Although there have been some not-so-positive reactions to his particular shoes' aesthetics, monogrammed shoes are actually a great personalized gift idea if you can find a more contemporary style. Zazzle offers Keds slip-on shoes that you can customize yourself, or if you're not much of a designer, MonogramGifts have already created several monogrammed shoes for your choosing!

Nine West Rewards Shoppers Who Donate Shoes

Footwear retailer Nine West is encouraging customers to bring in their gently worn shoes (men's, women's, and kids') in exchange for a 15% discount on a purchase of $75 or more. The shoe drive is being held at 192 Nine West store locations nationwide, and the program will end on September 24, 2009. All shoes donated will be given to Soles4Souls, a nonprofit charity that collects new and gently used shoes to re-distribute to people in need. The 15% discount can be used either in stores or online.

For more information, visit soles4souls.org.

TOMS Shoes and Brandon Boyd of Incubus Launch New Shoes

In a collaboration with Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd and Southern California artist Kristin Jai Klosterman, TOMS Shoes is set to launch their latest shoe design in the inaugural offering of the Collaborative Canvas Collection.

Brandon Boyd and Kristin Jai Klosterman created three canvases (one by each alone and the third with the two together) and individual swaths were cut from each piece of artwork and put back together uniquely in an effort to ensure that each pair of shoes in their collection are truly one-of-a-kind. Seventy-five pairs of shoes in total were created and a few are currently on display at UNDEFEATED stores in Silver Lake, Santa Monica, La Brea, and Las Vegas. They will go on sale at 7 pm on September 26, 2009 for the launch event at the Silver Lake UNDEFEATED store location in Southern California. With every shoe purchased, TOMS will give a new pair of shoes to a child in need.



For more information about TOMS Shoes, check out our blog post on their One for One mission.

Recall on Clark's Children's Shoes

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and C & J Clark America have issued a recall on Clark's popular Crawlers and Hazy Daze children's shoes due to a possible choking hazard. The molded rubber pieces on the sole can detach, and although no injuries or incidents have been reported in the U.S. so far, two reports have been made about children putting the detachable pieces from the sole into their mouths. Six other reports have been made about the rubber pieces detaching. Consumers are urged to immediately return the shoes to the nearest Clark's store for a full refund.

These shoes were sold nationwide at Clark's retail stores from February 2009 to July 2009 for $35-40. Clark's Crawlers were sold in infant sizes 2 to 3 1/2, and Clark's Hazy Daze shoes were sold in children's sizes 4 to 6 1/2. You may also identify these shoes by the "Clarks First Shoes" label printed inside the shoe's heel.

Here is a list of recalled names and model numbers of Clark's children's shoes:
Little Kyle Blue Crawler, Model #89823
Description: Blue with red and black trim

Little Kyle Tan Crawler, Model #89824
Description: Tan with blue and brown trim

India Sparkle White Crawler, Model #88000
Description: White with light green trim and pink stitching

Kirstin Pink Crawler, Model #88109
Description: Light pink with darker pink trim

Hazy Daze White Sandal, Model #88234
Description: White leather with cream and tan trim

Reports of incidents or injuries can be made to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Additional information may be obtained by contacting C & J Clark America at (800) 425-2757 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.