Editor’s Note: This piece references Forbes’ feature article “The Footwear Brand Using AI to Revolutionize Shoemaking” by journalist Anna Haines. The story explores how IAMBIC blends data, design, and craftsmanship to redefine what fit means in footwear.
IAMBIC creates precision-fit footwear that unites AI, biomechanics, and European craftsmanship. Each pair begins with a smartphone 3D scan that measures over twenty biometric variables to the millimeter. Our Fit Engine transforms this data into a digital last unique to you, then artisans in Portugal craft your pair for balance, support, and enduring comfort.
Named a TIME Best Invention, supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation, and developed with Dr. Hylton Menz.
New to IAMBIC? For personalized fit guidance before ordering, start with the Fit Guide Quiz below.
Forbes spotlight: The footwear brand using AI to revolutionize shoemaking
NEW YORK, NY. Forbes profiles how IAMBIC applies NASA-grade, AI-assisted design to a systemic industry issue: poor fit. Before mass production, shoes were crafted to the individual. Today most pairs are built around standard sizes, and our feet feel it. A systematic review across 18 studies found 63% to 72% of participants wore ill-fitting shoes, correlating with discomfort and conditions like bunions and calluses. Learn more about our technology on the Technology page.
“Have you ever had a custom-made shoe?”
Anna Haines, Forbes
The piece traces IAMBIC’s origins to Maeve Wang’s own search for shoes that fit, and explains how data, biomechanics, and craft combine to deliver a precision experience at scale.
Why standard sizing fails, and how AI changes the outcome
Standard sizing and conventional manufacturing do not account for three-dimensional foot morphology or the wide variation in foot shapes. IAMBIC’s approach starts with a scan and builds from data and biomechanics, resulting in custom-fit geometry aligned to your gait and daily demands.
“Most shoes start from a fixed size chart and a static last.”
Maeve Wang in Forbes
Many people tolerate quiet trade-offs between comfort and style. Our fit model addresses those trade-offs through personalized geometry and materials chosen for long workdays and travel.
How the IAMBIC fit system works
1. Order MODEL T. Start on the product page and place your order.
2. Complete a quick Virtual Consultation on your phone. After checkout we send a link. Take three photos of each foot while standing on printer paper and answer a short comfort profile. No call needed.
3. We craft and ship. Our team builds your custom-fit pair in Portugal and ships in about 4 to 6 weeks. Future pairs tune to your Sole Print wear photos and comfort feedback.
- Balanced pressure. More even load across the forefoot and heel.
- Locked-in comfort. Geometry and materials matched to workload.
- All-day focus. Support that holds through long days and travel.
Outcomes for leaders who move all day
Fit directs how force travels through the kinetic chain. Small misfits compound over miles and show up as hotspots, blisters, calluses, ankle and calf tension, and posture shifts that drain energy. IAMBIC’s system reads more than 20 biometric variables, including forefoot shape, ball girth, instep volume, arch height, heel morphology, and how your foot transmits load and pressure. This is why executives searching for custom executive shoes and the most comfortable professional shoes look to IAMBIC for all-day performance and polish.
Made to order, designed for longevity
Longevity matters for people and the planet. Poor fit and overproduction drive waste. IAMBIC’s made-to-order model reduces size-run overproduction and lowers return risk, with premium materials built for years of daily wear.
“Precision fit means each pair has an owner before it is made, which lowers size-run overproduction and lowers return risk.”
Access at a fraction of traditional bespoke
Traditional made-to-measure options often cost $3,000 to $10,000 and focus on hand-built dress shoes and boots. IAMBIC delivers a made-to-order pair in four to six weeks at $550.
“Made-to-measure shoes are slow and expensive at roughly $3,000 to $10,000, and usually limited to hand-built dress shoes and boots. We’re making accessible what was once a bespoke luxury at a fraction of traditional custom pricing.”
Signals of progress
- More than 50,000 scans processed
- 12 patent-pending inventions across fit modeling and digital-to-physical craft
- Named a TIME Best Invention
- Featured at the Miami Shoe Museum and on Times Square billboards
- Backed by a $1 million National Science Foundation grant
- New Art Gods series of made-to-order collaborations by Miami artists
“The next Nike is going to start with the data, when everyone’s wearing precision-fit shoes.”
Experience comfort built for you
First, order MODEL T. After checkout, complete a short smartphone Virtual Consultation. Most first pairs are made in about four to six weeks after your consultation. If you want personalized guidance before ordering, take the Fit Guide Quiz for personalized fit guidance.
About the Forbes Author
Anna Haines is a lifestyle journalist with over seven years covering wellness, travel, food, style, and beauty. Her work has appeared in Architectural Digest, Bloomberg, Food & Wine, The Globe and Mail, Eater, Vogue, AFAR, Well+Good, Lonely Planet, Travel + Leisure, Insider, and more. She is an award-winning photographer and an alum of the International Center of Photography and McGill University.
The most interesting thing about them being crafted just for me is how well they fit. And I hadnever even noticed that my shoes didn't fit right. My other shoes don't hurt me - they just slosharound. With these, the heels actually stay on the whole time and it fits snugly yet stillcomfortably. And I'd never experienced that before. They just stay comfortable all day.
As a runner, as an athlete, just knowing that I'm doing a good service to my body is incredible.It’s the reason that I love my IAMBIC shoes. It's that precision that makes me feel safe to walkdown the street, get on the subway, do my commute, bring my kids to school, and not feelconcerned that I'm doing it in a shoe that doesn't fit right or that doesn't feel good.
The thing that I was surprised by the most with the precision fit is that any pressure points thatI had been feeling with the shoes that I previously came in wearing were completely gone. I waswearing a shoe that wasn't too tight. It wasn't too loose. The sole fit just right. Total comfort.That's the best way to put it.
So I suffer from chronic foot pain and I believe that a lot of that has to do with wearing shoesthat actually don't fit. Whenever I wear my IAMBICs, I've noticed that I have felt less pain,which is really incredible. And they're just so comfortable. I'm not worried about the back of my heel popping out or my ankles not having enough support. Also, they're just so stylish andevery timeI wear them out in the street, I always get compliments, which never happens to me.
A shoe that may feel comfortable for a half hour walk is not a shoe that always feels comfortablefor a three and a half hour walk. So what I like about IAMBIC is, even though the snug fit isthere and it feels comfortable, it also feels substantial enough that I can walk a lot withoutgetting any discomfort. That's just something that's especially important to me and I think theshoe has really delivered that.
The first moment that I tried on my IAMBIC shoes, I noticed a difference. I have small feet. So whenever I try on shoes, I usually expect them to not fit. If they do fit, there's usually some sort of discomfort, whether that's in the toe box or too much space or at the heel. So knowing that this shoe was tailored to my foot was really meaningful. It's rare that you find a shoe like IAMBIC that truly is comfortable, but also hits the markers of style versatility.
I think we're all placed on this earth as unique individuals. None of us are really off the rack in terms of sizing. So for me to have that experience of having something made specifically for me that fit perfectly was something that was a little bit mind blowing. And once I got the shoes, I tried them on, they looked great, they felt great. And honestly, they fit like a glove.