TOMS, a US-based shoe company, announced that it will start manufacturing shoes in Haiti beginning in January 2014. The announcement was made by TOMS Founder and Chief Shoe Giver, Blake Mycoskie, during the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI, a philanthropic venture launched by former President Bill Clinton) Annual Meeting on September 25, 2013, in New York. 

TOMS has made a five-year commitment to produce millions of shoes in Haiti and create jobs.

"Three years ago at CGI the President asked me to help support the people of Haiti, and TOMS respondedby giving hundreds of thousands of new pairs of shoes to children in need. Today, our dedication to Haiti is so much greater, and we look forward to creating jobs and opportunities in Haiti over the next several years," said Mycoskie.

The company is known for its shoes donations to children in need. It has donated shoes to Haitian children as well.

Over the past year, TOMS has also been collaborating with over 30 artisans in Haiti to design a successful, limited edition series of retail shoes under the Haiti Artists Collective banner. The company announced that this collaboration will continue.

"By making such a strong commitment and business investment, we hope to inspire other companies in the fashion and footwear industries to follow suit."

Currently, TOMS shoes are manufactured in China, Argentina, Kenya, and Ethiopia.

In 2006, American traveler Blake Mycoskie befriended children in a village in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need.