by Sam Catanzaro
An afternoon of art, culture and food in Venice.
TOMS, the shoe and fashion company founded in Venice, is hosting a music and art community event on Saturday, April 21 to celebrate the launch of The Venice Collection.
“Paying homage to the TOMS hometown of Venice, The Venice Collection is the TOMS badge, the stamp of our origins, a shoe for those who are unabashedly themselves, a shoe for people optimistic enough to believe they can make a difference,” the company said in a statement.
The event will be held at The Unlikely Florist warehouse at 715 Hampton Drive between 2 and 7 p.m. There will be musical performances by Los Angeles based bands, Mars + MOUF, Gypsum and singer/songwriter Madison Douglas, along with other local musicians.
The event will showcase art by Al Noelle Walter and LA’s BEST Student Artists. In addition, TOMS and social impact creative agency TaskForce have teamed up to curate a collage of activist posters for the event.
“TaskForce works with influential non-profits, brands and people taking on the most pressing challenges facing our state, our nation, and our world,” TOMS said.
In addition to showcasing music and art, the event will also feature speakers and panelists who are at the forefront of empowering local communities in Los Angeles.
“There will be a series of short talks and conversations with Los Angeles community leaders who are building grassroots movements, empowering creative changemakers, and fueling change in our communities,” TOMS said.
These speakers include Marc Thaler, Founder of Art with Purpose, Hector Verdugo, Chief Trainee Director at Homeboy Industries, Angela Luna Founder and designer at ADIFF and Amanda Southworth, Developer of the AnxietyHelper app.
Food and drink for the event will be provided by companies that not only take food seriously, but also take community involvement seriously.
“This community event is sponsored by local, conscious companies who share a mission of doing good and building a better tomorrow,” TOMS said.
Food will be provided by Everytable, a company with a goal of bringing healthy, affordable food to every table in the country. The TOMS Social Entrepreneurship Fund invested in Everytable in 2016. Wine will be provided by The Dreaming Tree, a wine company focused on making environmentally sustainable decisions all the way from the vine to the table. In this week leading up to Earth Day on April 22, The Dreaming Tree is currently doing a “Buy One Bottle, Plant One Tree” initiative. For every bottle sold, the company will plant one tree in partnership with Living Lands and Waters. To keep attendees hydrated, Boxed Water will be on hand. Boxed water is another environmentally friendly company. Not only is the packaging more sustainable than plastic water bottles, but Boxed Water also donates a percentage of their sales revenue to environmentally-minded organizations.
For more information and to register, visit the event’s Eventbrite page at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-venice-collection-community-event-tickets-44576987971
