TOMS Blog

TOMS’ Art of Giving Tour is on the road again in Canada!

After an incredible kick-off in Montreal, we’re ready to bring a good time to Vancouver with an army of artist friends who are geared up to help make it happen. What can you expect to find at our celebration of the Art of Giving in Vancouver? Read on… 

- Live music by Ice Cream Social DJs Trevor Risk & Tyler Fedchuck 
- A lovely venue where you just may have met us before: Ayden Gallery 
- Good conversation, good people and a great time 
- 50 amazing local artists showcasing their TOMS art and creating it live! (This is more artists than we’ve ever had at one event in Canada!) 
We have connected with talented artists from the Vancouver community and asked that they interpret what it means to GIVE, using TOMS Shoes & Eyewear as their canvas. Not only can you view their unique pieces at the gallery, you can also have them customize a pair of TOMS Shoes just for you! 

Here’s a sneak peek of the artists you will meet at the event…

Meet Taka Sudo…
Hometown: Tokyo, Japan

TOMS: Hey Taka, how and when did you discover your knack for the creative space?
TS: I’ve loved all kinds of cool cultural things - music, film, photography, comics, etc. - since I was a kid, but I actually studied law in university. There, I struggled to find the equity I thought I’d find in law, and it seemed to me that law was more about keeping order from the top-down. On the other end of that spectrum, I knew I could find great energy in culture, creating new value from the bottom-up. That’s when I found my professional passion for art. 

TOMS: What’s the best part about making art on TOMS?

TS: It’s a collaboration between me as an artist and the people who wear the painted TOMS. I’m getting great inspiration from customers every time I paint on TOMS, and most of the time that inspiration has a cool effect on the finished pair. This is the magic that’s hard to create when I’m working by myself in the studio.

TOMS:If you could style a pair of TOMS Shoes for anyone in the world, who would it be and what would you create?

TS: C-3PO (of Star Wars). I’d paint all gold for him.

Meet Peter Ricq…

Hometown: Montreal
TOMS: Tell us a bit about what led you here. How did you first become a part of the One for One movement?
PR: Someone told me the idea behind the company and I just didn’t believe it, to be honest. A year after I heard about it, my friend worked at a TOMS event in Vancouver, where I saw for myself that the One for One idea was real. Point for the good guys!

Meet Mandy Tsung… 
Hometown: Banff, Alberta
TOMS: If you could style a pair of TOMS Shoes for anyone in the world, who would it be and what would you create?
MT: Achilles. He seems like he could have used a better pair of shoes. I’d make them out of Kevlar (a strong material used for commercial construction).

TOMS: What is it about creating art on TOMS that makes this worthwhile for you as an artist?
MT: I think helping people through my art is the most important thing I can do, and TOMS makes it possible.


We’re not sure Achilles and C-3PO are making it to Vancouver this week, but we hope you are! Join us at Ayden Gallery, beginning at 7PM this Friday, July 6th! More information at the TOMS Facebook event listing…