Tod’s spells out how much it cares in charitable shoe collaboration

Italian leather goods maker Tod’s is showing its love for children in need.

The brand has collaborated with women’s wear designer Gabriela Hearst on a series of limited-edition slip-on mule shoes. Proceeds from the sale of the shoe will benefit children’s charity organization Save the Children.

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Tod’s and Ms. Hearst’s shoe collaboration features a men’s brogue style, a popular trend as genderless fashion becomes more mainstream. Along the shoe’s trim are Morse code laser-cuts that read “love.”

The shoe is made in Italy and available in smooth calf or metal textured leathers. The shoe also includes a handcrafted woven rope trim and a rubber outsole embossed with pebbles.

All five of the variations are limited-edition and exclusive to the United States. Each pair retails for $645, with 20 percent of the price being donated to Save the Children’s objectives through 2020.

Tod's & Gabriela Hearst promotional image

The charity's main mission for 2020 is to help children “survive, learn and be protected.”

“Save the Children is delighted to partner with Gabriela Hearst and Tod’s on the 'Love' shoes. We were inspired by Gabriela’s shared passion for fashion and philanthropy, which led her to design this special shoe to give a brighter tomorrow to disadvantaged children,” said Carolyn Miles, president/CEO of Save the Children, in a statement.

“The funds raised from the sale of the Tod’s shoe will go to helping children learn, stay healthy and be protected from harm,” she said. “We hope the limited-edition shoes will become the must-have style for the summer.”

Regarding her choice to include Morse code into the shoe’s design, Ms. Hearst said, “In my first collections I was working with stripes, and then I was getting attracted to dots. [I] realized that when I put [it] together it was more code.

“[When I] called a mentor of mine, and asked what word I should spell in Morse code, she said ‘only one [word] for you, love.’”

Gabriela Hearst for Tod's

Save the Children is a popular choice of charities among luxury brands looking to give to a noteworthy cause.

For example, Italian jewelry brand Bulgari tapped into Mother’s Day sentiment this year with the launch of a new charitable bracelet.

The bracelet design, inspired by Bulgari’s B.zero1 collection, will benefit the Save the Children organization. A meaningful gift with a worthy cause is likely to spur Mother’s Day purchases of the bracelet as consumers plan gifts for mom (see story).