Aldo Knocks Off Toms Shoes Minus the Charity Angle

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Grid View

Expand

• Aldo's Kalaoa slip-ons, $40
• Toms in gray, $48
• The Toms wannabes
• They also knocked off the Toms wedge.

Back in October, Sketchers got in trouble for copying the little slip-on espadrilles made popular by Toms, which treats philanthropy as a major part of their sales pitch. But at least Sketchers stole the entire concept, including the part where they donate one pair of shoes to a needy child for every pair of shoes sold. Now, Aldo has jumped on the bandwagon, but their suspiciously familiar-looking slippers don't even have a charity element.

Check out the flats in the photos above, snapped in the window of the Aldo at Broadway and 4th Street in Noho. The similarities in shape are pretty bad, but then again, Toms didn't invent the espadrille. What gets us is little Aldo tag, which sticks out exactly the way the Toms tag does. Toms is charging $48 for their flats, while the Aldo version costs $40, so going with the non-charitable option does save you $8. As for the wedges, it's a little bit less of an egregious rip-off: Toms wedges ($69) have jute heels, while the heels on the Aldo version ($50) are covered. Still, they're awfully close, no? (Racked legal experts, feel free to weigh in!)

Faced with Internet ridicule, Sketchers wound up pulling their Toms knock-offs from the market about a week after they launched. Wonder if we'll see Aldo do the same.
· Copycats [Racked NY]
· TOMS vs. BOBS: How Skechers Shot Themselves in the Foot [Fast Company]
· Kalaoa [Aldo]