You already know how ridiculous winter weather can get, especially if you live in the midwest or on the east coast. This year's weather patterns are unlike anything I've ever seen. You definitely want to be prepared for drastic changes this time around.

Within the last couple of weeks, the midwest has seen a lot of snow, freezing temperatures, raging winds, and sudden rainstorms. For some reason, I had never bothered to get proper rain or snow boots my first year living in the city, but I finally bit the bullet. 

Unlike every other urbanite, I didn't want to get the typical Hunter boots or purchase boots for their namesake. After months of researching, I stumbled upon ROMA Boots. I liked their styles and cause so much, I thought they would be great to share with all of you! 

The thing I loved most about this company, and the deciding factor to support them, is their passion to resolve poverty. The founder, Samuel Bistrian, immigrated to America at a young age from Romania, where his family endured financial strife.

Having experienced poverty and its impact firsthand, he was determined to find a way to help other children and families in the same situation. After working in retail and dedicating his time to several causes, he decided to blend his two passion — enter in, Roma Boots. 

I've gotta say, Bistrian really covered all his bases. Roma spelled backwards is amor, which translates to love in Spanish. Roma's mission is to "give poverty the boot" by adopted a "for one, for all" attitude and business model. If you're thinking this company sounds a lot like TOMS, you wouldn't be wrong in thinking that! 

Ironically enough, Bistrain took much inspiration from TOMS after meeting the company's founder, Blake Mycoskie, in 2009. Like TOMS, ROMA donates a pair of rain boots to those in need with each purchase made. What's great is that they make several collections for every type of customer: Classic, Fashion, and Children. They have styles for those who like the boldest of colors to the simplest of designs that are eco-friendly, vegan, and 100% cotton-lined.

It'd be an oversight not to mention that these boots are comparable to (and are a much better alternative) the Sam Edelman, Jeffrey Campbell, and Hunter rain boots. Like these brands, you can also dress up your boots with boot accessories—socks, warmers, etc. Trust me, it feels better to purchase for a cause rather than for a designer name.

I have to say I'm so glad I found this company and put my money towards an important cause. As someone with Raynaud's Phenomenon, I find that winter months are hard on my little toes. These are the first pair of rain boots that have actually kept my feet warm! I'm so happy to have found them and would be lost without them. 

In my opinion, they're a MUST have, if you want to survive crazy winter weather or if you're also subject to the midwest's sporadic patterns. Stay tuned for a fashion post to see how I styled these bad boys! In the meantime, see for yourself how ROMA Boots stack up next to the most raved about boots:

Däv vs. Hunter vs. Jeffrey Campbell vs. Sam Edelman