Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak
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'FEED' -ING FASHION L Lauren Bush Lauren is the beautiful and accomplished legacy of two famous families who shares our passion for Aspen. TOMS shoes's Blake Mycoskie, friend and fellow social entrepreneur, discusses her passion for giving. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MELANIE DUNEA auren and I met in 2007 at a dinner our mutual friend Summer Rayne Oakes hosted in the Hamptons. It happened to be a mix of different designers, architects, and people doing things with an environmental or social purpose. Lauren and I instantly connected with TOMS and FEED breathing the same message. And so began the conversations about manu- facturing, warehousing, design, col la b oration, life, and so much more. It was exciting to compare notes and see what TOMS could be doing differently based on her experiences with FEED. W e've been fortunate to remain friends over the years, sharing our biggest ASPENPEAK-MAGAZINE.COM 143 challenges and celebrating our biggest successes—even partnering on a TOMS x FEED shoe earlier this year, which provided new shoes and meals to children around the world. It was a perfect collaboration because of the simplicity of our brands and what we do. You buy a pair of TOMS or a FEED product, and someone is helped—we provide them with pair of shoes or meals for a whole year, or we help with problems like sight restoration. It's great to have a close friend in this space, showing the world that busi- ness and philanthropy don't have to be separate and can work together hand in hand. I feel so honored to call her a friend and a philanthropic entrepre- neur I can really learn from every day.