Community Corner

Shoes For A Cause: BANGS Shoes Seeks Georgetown Ambassador

The humanitarian startup, which donates 20 percent of profits to nonprofit organizations, is just over a year old and is managed by a team of four.

Strolling by the windows of Hudson Trail Outfitters, Sports Zone and Comfort One Shoes, you may have seen the high tops and the low tops that look like a cross between Chuck Taylors and Vans with the simplicity of Toms. 

They're BANGS, shoes made by a company that donates 20 percent of profits to one of its nonprofit partners. Each color of BANGS stands for a different cause. 

Hannah Davis, founder and president of BANGS, actually got the design for her shoes while traveling in China. Farmers and working-class Chinese wore olive green army shoes all the time, and soon, Hannah did too. 

When she returned to the states, an idea clicked: A way to connect people to humanitarian causes through retail in a more sustainable way, Davis said.

Other charity-retail companies tend to simply give gifts to those in need, and while that is nice, it doesn't last, Davis said. BANGS raises money for nonprofits that work to provide long-term solutions to poverty, like clean water, eduction and business loans.

"We want to make a lasting change," Davis said. "Sustainable efforts have a snowball effect."

And with shoes sold by chain retailers like Sports Zone, Davis seems to be on her way. But if you can believe it, the company is just a little more than a year old and is run by four people, including Davis. 

That's why she was hanging around Georgetown University for a couple days. Part of the BANGS business model is to have brand ambassadors at universities across the country. And to Davis, Georgetown is one of the key places. 

"It's a really good place to try to grow BANGs," she said. "It's progressive. Georgetown is a place where people gather to be creative and innovative."  

To become a brand ambassador, visit http://www.bangsshoes.com/get-involved/.



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