Footwear Plus

It's not just skateboarders who wear Vans: the no-frills lo-tops are a sartorial staple for celebrities. 

Applicants have until Monday, April 30, to submit proposals for the first-ever El Naturalista award. The Spanish footwear company will present 40,000 Euros to projects dedicated to children's education and care in 40 countries worldwide,expanding its humanitarian commitment. A panel of academic and business experts will evaluate proposals. Results will be announced in May and an awards ceremony will take place in June.

Mobil 1, sponsor of Tony Stewart and his Stewart-Haas racing team, has teamed up with skate brand DVS on a shoe that's sure to please motor racing nuts and sneakerheads alike. Rather than the usual go-faster stripes route, this collaboration takes a more subtle approach, with a nod to Mobil 1 on the tongue, heel and antiqued metal quarter badge, and a low-profile silhouette in sleek black leather. They won't get you anywhere faster, but they will definitely get you there in style.

Flash mobs are de rigeur for fashion shows these days. Remember Moncler's infamous takeover of Grand Central Station during New York's Fall '11 Fashion Week shows? Or Stella McCartney's Fall '12 presentation in London earlier this year? Yesterday French rubber boot brand Aigle got in on the action too, staging a flash mob to celebrate the opening of its new shop on the Champs-Elysee in Paris. Click here to check it out. 

As if to coincide with today's New York City high of 86 degrees Faranheit, Sperry Top-Sider launched a beach break giveaway. One grand prize winner will walk away with a four-day, three-nights stay for four at the Wild Dunes Resort in Charleston, SC, and a $1,000 AMEX gift card. The top prize also includes daily breakfast at the Sea Island Grill, bike rentals and one round of golf. But that's not all: One first prize winner will receive a GoPro digital camera and Sony 8" digital photo frame, while second place will score a Sea Bags beach tote filled with Sperry Top-Sider goodies.

Etnies skateboarding owner and CEO Pierre-Andre Senizergues took to the streets last Friday for the Los Angeles Misson's annual Easter celebration, handing out 2,000 pairs of new shoes to the city's homeless population. Joined by filmmaker Mike Manzoori, Senizergues showed how the simple gesture of giving can change thousands of lives.

PF Flyers continues to define itself through an appreciation of the quality and design of times past, something the shoemaker believes to be as relevant today as it was 75 years ago. As part of its three-pronged Authentic American Style anniversary campaign, the brand has dropped a video-based series featuring select stylemakers who share this aesthetic.

We are not making this up. Just when you think you've seen and heard it all, Shoe Dating comes along, a service by Malaysian store Shoes Shoes Shoes that matches footwear fiends with solemates willing to pay for their purchase in exchange for a date. 

No one can accuse the Irish of taking themselves too seriously. We excel at poking fun at ourselves and we do so with a soupcon of self-deprecating humor and wit. But as an Irish American who lived 19 years of my life in Ireland, I am truly offended by the way the U.S. celebrates St Patrick's Day and views Irish culture in general. It's insulting. Our national holiday is not about celebrating our country's supposed drinking culture; it celebrates our patron saint, the man who brought Christianity to Ireland.

Skechers is going for gold - literally - at the Olympic Games in London with its GOrun minimalist running shoe. Featuring mid-foot strike technology and a 4mm heel drop which brings the runner 66 precent closer to the ground than traditional athletic footwear, limited edition colorways of red, white and navy will hit stores in July and retail for $80. Team USA member Meb Keflezighi, who set a personal best at the marathon trials in Houston while wearing the ultra-lightweight sneaker, will compete in a custom pair at the Games this summer.