Now that it is officially spring, it is time to pull out the vibrant colors and fun dresses and skirts. With new clothes come new shoes.

Any shopaholic is well aware of the necessity of having a myriad of matching shoes for every outfit; yet, this can get a bit difficult for college students. Dorm rooms do not exactly provide a lot of storage space, especially for a girl’s wardrobe.

One way to cut back on an overflow of shoes is to become a socially conscious fashionista.

TOMS Shoes provides the perfect cure to owning too many shoes, while helping others at the same time.

Created by Blake Mycoskie in 2006, TOMS Shoes operates on a One-for-One philosophy. For every pair of shoes purchased through TOMS, a pair is donated to a child in need. In the organization’s first year of business, 10,000 children received shoes.

The traditional TOMS shoes are simple canvas shoes that come in a variety of colors. Over the years, they have branched out creating boots, wedges and most recently ballet flats.

They have also gone beyond the shoe market and started making glasses. The purchases of these glasses follow the same One-for-One model as their shoes: For every pair of glasses purchased, a pair is donated to a person in need.

Now, some people may wonder: why shoes and glasses? Food may seem like the most obvious necessity to provide.

The idea is that by simply giving people food, the people will never be able to become self sufficient. Providing shoes and glasses allows people to overcome obstacles with extremely simple solutions.

Many children in impoverished countries do not have shoes. One of the leading causes of disease and infection is walking barefoot on unclean floors, through soil or in stagnant water.

A simple solution to this problem is a pair of shoes, and through TOMS, these shoes are made available. Poor sight follows the same model, and a pair of glasses gives someone the ability to see and work again.

While the shoes may be a bit pricey, buyers are paying for two pairs of shoes: their own pair and those that are being donated. They are worth the money.

Whether owning one pair or seven (this fashionista has a slight problem), TOMS go with anything from jeans to a wedding dress. They are also some of the most comfortable shoes available right now. After wearing a pair of TOMS for the first time, feet will never want to wear anything else (the perfect solution to owning too many shoes!).

Due to their popularity, TOMS imposters are sprouting up in retailers everywhere. True TOMS sport a blue and white flag on the heel.

If really interested in showing your support (and struggling with what shoes to wear) take part in TOMS “One Day Without Shoes” event on April 10. Spend the entire day shoe-free to see how important it is to have a pair.