For over two decades, Astor Chambers was a staple at some of the largest shoe companies in the world, influencing the direction for iconic brands like Nike and Adidas. With his decades of experience, Chambers understands that shoes play a critical and cultural role in fashion, sports, design and entertainment, among other areas.
But after a star run as leader of both the Jordan and Billionaire Boys Club brands, Chambers was consumed by a simple question: Can a shoe stand for more? He was all too familiar with charity shoe models that promised to give one pair of shoes for every pair bought. And as an industry insider, he had seen attempts by some of the big brands to support important causes.
But Chambers wondered if a shoe brand could serve as a change agent in society. And if his marketing powers could be used to unleash greater good in the world. Around the same time, Chambers met Manny Ohonme, the founder of World Shoe, who was looking for a marketing leader to help launch the African-made footwear brand to global consumers.
Chambers found a match between his passion and his purpose in joining World Shoe, a dynamic startup based jointly in the U.S. and Ghana that has managed to attract other world-class leaders with backgrounds at Nordstrom, Nike, Puma, and Sanford Health.
World Shoe’s goal is ambitious, but its approach is elegantly simple: To provide footwear and access to better health for hundreds of millions of people in the world living without shoes, World Shoe has developed a line of antimicrobial footwear made in their own factory in Ghana and sold at an affordable price to NGOs and governments, who then distribute the shoes to people in need throughout Africa and other regions.
To help scale operations and distribution, World Shoe is launching the shoe to retail consumers in Ghana later this year and the U.S. in 2025 at a competitive price point for those markets. Building excitement and connection to a cool new shoe brand that hopes to be a catalyst for global social change is no small feat. But Chambers is ready for the challenge.
ADDRESSING A MASSIVE UNMET NEED IN THE MARKET
“The footwear industry has become consumed by massive conglomerates, resulting in a landscape oversaturated with mass-produced, homogeneous designs that prioritize profit margins over genuine innovation,” says Chambers. “There is a growing demand for a new kind of shoe—one that not only redefines style and functionality but also serves a meaningful purpose, such as sustainability, accessibility, or cultural inclusivity. The time is ripe for a fresh, visionary brand to disrupt the status quo and deliver a product that resonates on a deeper, more socially conscious level.”
This is how Chambers sees World Shoe: a culturally attuned organization that is focused on creating a product that fills both a need in the market and a need in peoples’ lives. This shoe is meant to lift up communities in a variety of ways and appeal to the consumer who wants their dollar to “do good.”
SHIFTING THE FOCUS FROM PERSONAL SUCCESS TO COLLECTIVE PROSPERITY
Chambers spent the early part of his career working on influential campaigns and shaping corporate culture for brands including Nike and Adidas. But his perspective and priorities shifted as he began to redefine his idea of success.
“Early in my career, I was looking at success as, ‘How do I bring value to myself? How do I move up the corporate ladder?’” says Chambers. “Then I hit a point where I realized that it’s no longer about success; it’s about significance and bringing value to others. When the opportunity with World Shoe crossed my path, it totally aligned with my purpose-driven journey. At the end of the day, we have a responsibility to our collective betterment, and that requires all of us to do our respective parts.”
Chambers emphasizes the importance of infusing intentionality across all facets of a brand’s business model—aligning each decision and action with advancing both purpose and profitability. When he worked for other footwear brands, success was measured in market penetration and revenue generation.
At World Shoe, however, success is tied to realizing the company’s mission, vision, and values. These principles at World Shoe are directly inspired by the founder, Manny Ohonme. Having experienced the hardships of being a child in desperate need of shoes, Ohonme understands the profound impact a simple pair of shoes can have on one’s life. He has leveraged this experience to build a company driven by a desire to help those in greatest need.
“Before, every million pairs of shoes sold was a huge achievement unto itself,” says Chambers. “Now, one million shoes sold means more than a transaction, or revenue generation. It means that we’re able to expand our work in reducing and eliminating many social determinants of health—and we’re doing this with a simple shoe.”
Consumers are increasingly invested in supporting brands that are making a positive difference in the world. 2022 Harris Poll research commissioned by Google Cloud found that “82% of shoppers want a consumer brand’s values to align with their own” and “three-quarters of shoppers reported parting ways with a brand over a conflict in values.”
“Consumers are looking for brands to be a reflection of their principles and values,” says Chambers. “They don’t just want a transactional product purchase. They want to see their dollars going to support a brand that has a major impact on others. It’s full circle. Once you become a consumer of this product, you become part of the bigger picture, supporting these initiatives and opportunities. You’ve now helped sustain the capacity of a community to thrive, which accelerates both prosperity and advocacy allowing for movement far beyond the transaction of that physical shoe.”