Every IAMBIC pair begins with a 3D scan that maps over twenty biometric points per foot. Our Fit Engine turns this data into a millimeter accurate digital last, then European artisans craft each pair from full grain Italian leather for balance, comfort, and all day performance.
Recognized as a TIME Best Invention of the Year and backed by the U.S. National Science Foundation. Designed in New York City, crafted in Portugal.
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Meet Luis Valenzuela
Luis Valenzuela is the founder and curator of the MIAMI Shoe Museum, home to one of the world’s most comprehensive footwear archives. His collection spans more than six centuries, with historically significant shoes dating from the 1400s to today. Read about IAMBIC being inducted in the MIAMI Shoe Museum.
For nearly two decades, Luis has studied how footwear reflects technology, materials, culture, and the human body. He evaluates shoes not only as objects of design, but as artifacts that reveal how people lived, moved, and adapted to their environment.
When Luis encountered IAMBIC, he did not see a departure from tradition. He saw continuity. A modern expression of the same principles that defined the most enduring footwear in history, precise fit, quality construction, and purpose driven design, now enabled by contemporary technology.
A Conversation with Luis Valenzuela
You have studied hundreds of historic shoes. Before experiencing IAMBIC, what did bespoke mean to you?
For me, bespoke was always about craftsmanship. Looking at how shoes were made centuries ago, without modern tools, is fascinating. Those makers worked with the technology of their time, but the goal was the same as today, fit and quality.
What excites me about IAMBIC is seeing the technology of our moment applied to those same principles. When people look back on this era, they will study shoes like these the way we study historic footwear today. The tools change, but the intention remains.
How did the scanning and fit process stand out to you?
It was surprisingly simple. You almost feel like nothing significant is happening because the experience is so smooth. You scan, take photos, answer questions, and that is it. But behind that simplicity is something very powerful.
For someone who understands footwear history, it feels almost magical. In the past, makers measured with their hands or basic tools. Now, an app captures precise data and translates it into a finished product. When you finally wear the shoe, you realize how much information was actually used.
What reactions did you get when people asked about your shoes?
People were curious. When I explained that the shoe came from an app and a scan, they wanted to understand how something digital became something physical. That conversation was exciting for me because it is not a concept or a prototype. It is real. You can see it, touch it, and wear it.
Coming from a curator, that matters. I can speak firsthand about the process and the result. That credibility changes how people listen.
How does wearing a one of one shoe change the relationship between the wearer and the shoe?
Customization used to be reserved for a very small group of people, and often it was about decoration or status. Today, true luxury is something different. It is about comfort, health, and how a product supports your body.
When a shoe is made specifically for you, you feel it immediately. I have worn these shoes through full days that start early in the morning and end late at night. I never felt fatigue or pain. That changes everything.
How has IAMBIC changed how you think about luxury footwear?
I work with historic luxury brands all the time. What sets IAMBIC apart is the process. It carries centuries of knowledge into one shoe, then applies modern data and technology to improve the result.
To me, it feels like carrying a legacy. Materials, craftsmanship, technology, and purpose all come together. That is why I see IAMBIC as part of history, not just a contemporary brand.
How naturally do the shoes move across different environments in your day?
Very naturally. The design is simple, contemporary, and timeless. You can wear them with a suit, denim, or something more casual. They never feel out of place.
More importantly, they feel effortless. It feels like walking on a cloud, but with structure and protection. You stop thinking about your shoes entirely, which is exactly what good design should do.
From a curator’s perspective, what makes IAMBIC’s technology truly innovative?
The uniqueness is that the shoe begins with the individual. Every body is different, and IAMBIC studies that before producing anything. That is the key difference.
In the past, there were attempts to scan feet, but the tools were impractical. Now, the entire process lives in your phone. The AI interprets your data and produces something you can actually wear every day. That evolution is remarkable.
Do you remember the moment you first put them on?
Very clearly. I remember thinking, this is it. All the steps, the scanning, the survey, the anticipation, they were worth it.
I often describe it as feeling naked but protected at the same time. The shoe disappears, but the support remains. That is a rare experience.
“This is what luxury looks like now. Something made for you, that makes your body feel better.”
— Luis Valenzuela
How do these shoes compare to others you have worn?
The difference is precision. Other shoes might feel good for a few hours, then your body reacts. With IAMBIC, the shoe already understands your foot. Every millimeter matters.
The fact that the product can evolve with your data over time is something we have never truly had before. That is what makes it special.
Where do you see shoes like this fitting into history?
Future generations will study this era and see a shift in how we define luxury. Not logos or embellishment, but customization, health, and intention.
Shoes like this mark a moment when technology allowed products to truly serve the individual. That is what will endure.
Explore the MODEL T, recognized as a TIME Best Invention.
The most interesting thing about them being crafted just for me is how well they fit. And I had never even noticed that my shoes didn't fit right. My other shoes don't hurt me - they just slosh around. With these, the heels actually stay on the whole time and it fits snugly yet still comfortably. 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 walk down the street, get on the subway, do my commute, bring my kids to school, and not feel concerned 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 was wearing 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 shoes that 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 and every time I 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 comfort able for a three and a half hour walk. So what I like about IAMBIC is, even though the snug fit is there and it feels comfortable, it also feels substantial enough that I can walk a lot without getting any discomfort. That's just something that's especially important to me and I think the shoe 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.
When we get behind the wheel of a Ferrari, Lamborghini, people feel that precision. 1 millimeter of change in the steering wheel, you will feel that. 1 millimeter of pressure into the accelerator, you’ll feel that. And for me, that is a linkage between performance, but then for me as I'm wearing my IAMBICs, it's just another reminder of how my IAMBICs are created based on that performance and the millimeter of precision that's included within the shoe which aligns up with the world of Ferrari and Lamborghini and the precision behind that.
Having a pair of shoes that I know will make me be able to stand up and do the job that I need to do without feeling burnt out or exhausted at the end of the day, which most shoes will end up doing no matter what they've been in the past. After a certain amount of time standing up, I don't think I've ever worried about that, or had that fatigue after a long shoot. At the end of a shoot when it's “Oh hey, we have to go into overtime." or something like that. This is something that helps me not feel the fatigue of being drained or tired because it's a pain that I don't get anymore from being on my feet for so long.
They're so comfortable that they're a part of life. They move with you, and I think that's the support, the comfort. I don't wear them just for the style, I wear them because they make me feel good. That's a really big thing for me.
When I wear my dress shoes, I'm constantly thinking OK, I wish I brought a pair of sneakers, and then when I have my sneakers on, then I'm tending to deal with the issues in the upper, right, part of the shoe whether on the front or back of my foot. So I want to say to myself, okay how do I replicate the feel of the IAMBIC shoe because I wear this every day.
What will happen is I'll wear my IAMBICs, I'm like this is great, like my day is good, I don't really notice anything. And then, if I switch to a different pair of shoes, especially like my very high end sneakers and I have a not bad collection of other high end sneakers, I'm immediately like ugh this just sucks like they really do. So I think it's the relational sort of experience where when I'm wearing my IAMBICs, I don't really notice and I think that says a lot. And it’s not until you wear a different set of shoes that you're like oh the reason I'm not noticing is because these fit my feet so well.