Letra de la Bersuit: invento argentino...las alpargatas..

1/2 que este no es tanto un invento argento eeee, aca me parece que copiamos modelo,jajaj, a los egipcios, pero los Americanos se copiaron de nosotros asi que todo valeeeee


The term "Alpargata" denotes a traditional shoe with a canvas upper, and a flexible sole typically woven from jute or rope. It is similar to a sandal, but has no fastening straps. Alpargata comes from the Arabic word "ALBARGAT", but its origin can be traced back to the Egyptian sandal. Romans then adapted the Egyptian sandal by adding an upper to protect their feet. As time went by, and as a result of the merging of different cultures, the alpargata was taken to Spain, where it took its current shape. In the XVIth Century it was taken to America by Spanish colonizers, soldiers and missionaries.
By 1850, Buenos Aires had more than 50 family workshops that made alpargatas with their own hands. One of these alpargatas makers was a Basque, Juan Etchegaray.
In 1883, Juan Etchegaray, a jute supplier, and Douglas Fraser, a weaving machine manufacturer, decided to associate to help mechanize and industrialize alpargatas manufacturing.
Two years later, in 1885, the company named 'Sociedad Anónima Fábrica Argentina de Alpargatas' was created, and its name was later changed to ALPARGATAS S.A.I.C.
Today, 120 years after its foundation, the Alpargatas Group proudly manufactures the traditional footwear that gave the Company its name.
http://www.alpargatas.com.ar/english/files/empresa/ourname.htm (fuente/source)

Ambassador Earl Anthony Wayne donated “alpargatas” on January 7 at Margarita Barrientos’ community kitchen Los Piletones in Villa Soldati. The event was organized by the U.S. company Toms Shoes (Shoes for Tomorrow). Toms Shoes provided each child with a pair of shoes from their company.
The Ambassador met Blake Mycoskie and Alejo Nitti, founders of Toms Shoes – a company whose designs are inspired by the traditional Argentine “alpargatas” slip-on shoes. The company’s mission is to match every pair of shoes purchased in exclusive shops in Los Angeles, New York, London or on their website with a donated pair to a child in need.
Ambassador Wayne highlighted the importance of volunteer work and the existing cooperation between non-government organizations of the United States and Argentina.
“Toms Shoes is based on a corporate culture of strong social responsibility. It is great to see how voluntary work brings US and Argentine citizens together generating not only benefits for those most in need but also greater mutual understanding,” said the Ambassador. Ambassador Wayne also expressed admiration for the work Margarita Barrientos and her family carry out to feed 1,600 people daily, in addition to providing health and day care nursery services. The foundation has also a small library.
"The work of Mrs. Barrientos and her family is something laudable and deserves all our support and admiration," – said the Ambassador. Mrs. Barrientos gave the Ambassador and his team a tour around the facility she and her collaborators have developed during the past eleven years to support the community. Mrs. Barrientos explained how people from Argentina and from other parts of the world have contributed to sustain and advance this project.
Ambassador Wayne, Mycoskie, Nitti, Barrientos and many other volunteers, including an actress from the TV series “Lost” Margaret Grace Denig and a group of volunteers from Price WaterHouse Coopers, personally delivered the “alpargatas” to children attending the community kitchen.
“It is important to strengthen and increase this kind of joint effort. Toms Shoes has informed me that they are planning to donate shoes on a monthly basis in the future. To achieve this goal, they will recruit Argentine volunteers and U.S. citizen, living in Argentina or coming for tourism,” Ambassador said. “People-to-people ties are the best way to strengthen bilateral relations between our countries and our people,” he added.
Today’s donation by Toms Shoes was the second in Argentina. During the first summer of its operation, the company sold their first 10,000 pairs of shoes. In October 2006, Toms donated 10,000 pairs of shoes to children in the Greater Buenos Aires area and in the province of Misiones. In November 2007, Toms traveled to South Africa to donate 50,000 shoes. Toms Shoes was awarded the 2007 “People’s Design Award” presented by the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York for their business model based on a socially responsible and innovative entrepreneurship. Blake Mycoskie participated in the Clinton Global Initiative where he shared his novel business model with the rest of the participants and partnered with US rock/pop music group Hanson in support of the idea of donating shoes to children in need.

http://argentina.usembassy.gov/tomsshoes_event.html : fuente /source