When a Stylist's 'Biscuit Feet' Meet Perfect Fit

Meet Tevin, a multifaceted creative force who's making waves as both a fashion industry insider and a candid voice for cultural commentary. As the creator and host of "Broke and Privileged," he offers a fresh perspective on everything from social awareness to pop culture through the lens of his experience as a Black, Queer Millennial man. Beyond his role as a podcaster and social media personality, Tevin brings his keen eye for style to major fashion brands like Kiini, Hatch, Spanx, and Club Monaco as a wardrobe stylist, while also working as a model and actor. Known for his engaging personality and dubbed by some as #FatChuckBass, he bridges the worlds of high fashion and authentic storytelling, creating spaces for conversations that range from the glamorous to the deeply personal.

We sat down with Tevin to discuss his IAMBIC experience and discover how personalized footwear transformed this fashion stylist's perspective on luxury, proving that a bespoke shoe can bridge the age-old gap between style and comfort while supporting his unique 'biscuit feet' through long New York days.

Can you describe the experience of getting a one-of-one pair of shoes from IAMBIC tailored uniquely to you?

Receiving a one-of-one pair of IAMBIC shoes was very interesting because up until now I hadn't really given much thought to a bespoke pair of shoes being something that I would own. When I think of bespoke items, I often think about couture and things that are very much out of my reach. So having that opportunity to have a shoe that is one-of-one for me was something that sparked my curiosity in a really special and exciting way. The very first time I tried them on, it was exhilarating. To have something that organically works with my foot—everybody's feet have a certain way that they hit the ground, and the way that my shoes wear out—I could feel that the shoe was supporting me in the places where my foot would normally wear a shoe out faster. That was something that I had to get used to, but also was really nice to feel.

What does owning an addition of one pair of shoes mean to your personal identity and style?

So as one great Beyoncé Knowles-Carter once said, 'I'm one of one, I'm the only one'—and so are my shoes. At face value, you may look at the IAMBIC shoes and think, how are my shoes any more unique to the customer before me and the customer after me? But the true magic lies in when you slip your foot into that shoe, you realize that this pair of shoes isn't going to fit like anybody else's because it is custom tailored to match your foot shape, to fit the way that your foot fits in a shoe and to feel uniquely comfortable to you.

How do you feel about the look and style of the shoes? 

I'm a sucker for white leather sneakers. Anybody that knows me will tell you that if I had it my way, I'd probably have a wardrobe that's full of just white leather sneakers apart from my Converse's, but that's a whole different story. When it comes to my everyday shoe, my go-to, a white leather sneaker is something that everyone should have in their wardrobe. It carries you throughout almost every situation that you're in. You can wear it with a suit, can wear it with denim, you can wear it with khakis—I mean, what more could you want? As a stylist, I cannot stress the importance of having a classic, clean, white leather sneaker, and that's where IAMBIC meets me. 

How has this level of personalized craftsmanship changed how you think about luxury shoes?

This level of craftsmanship has changed my perspective on luxury shoes a lot, because in the past I was a firm believer in 'beauty knows not of comfort' to an extent. I definitely would find myself squeezing my foot into shoes that didn't necessarily fit as well as they could, because I love the look. I honestly, as bad as it may seem, I'll prioritize a look over my comfort at times, because it takes a lot for me to put an outfit together. And when I envision something, I need to see it through. And so it was kind of like forcing me to readjust that thinking, right? Because here it is—a shoe that I really do like, and it meets me at a comfort level. It meets me in the middle. And now I'm kind of like, well, why should I have to sacrifice comfort for style? Why can't it just be, across the board, something that's thought of, something that makes sense to everyone? Not everyone has such a narrow foot or not everyone has a high arch. And those are things that I feel like true luxury companies really need to be cognizant of.

How did the smartphone-based foot scan technology impact what you feel when you wear the shoes?

The foot scan technology for me, as someone who has very, very flat feet—if you're a dancer, we also call them biscuits—as someone who has severe biscuits for feet, it was interesting because I of course tend to go for shoes that are really, really flat. But this allowed the shoe to have a very unique contour that worked with my foot really well, and it was very unexpected when I put my foot into the shoe for the first time and to just feel that. I don't know how to explain that. I wish that you guys could have been there to see what my emotion was like because then it would make sense to you as much as it makes sense to me. It's an emotional thing when you're someone who has feet that seem to not work with every shoe that you put on, and to then put your foot into a shoe that just makes sense. It's yours. It's not going anywhere but to you because it's made for you.

How does IAMBIC’s  technology impact your confidence that you're receiving the best possible shoe?

The technology behind IAMBIC shoes is one that does give me great confidence. As a New Yorker, you can probably identify with this—you start your day off at work, possibly a 9 to 5, head over to happy hour for maybe about two hours, and then you head out to whatever event or dinner you have going on for the rest of the evening before you go home. We are on our feet all day, taking trains, hailing cabs and things like that, or just walking around. And for so long, the idea of having a shoe that provided me with the comfort that I needed to make it through my day, as well as being stylish, was something that really preceded me. And it's really unfortunate. But with IAMBIC, I'm able to go throughout my day with that ultimate sense of comfort and confidence because I know that I'm not gonna be feeling this sense of exasperation because I wanna rip my shoes off my feet.

What excites you the most about your shoes becoming more personalized with each pair through the Sole Print technology?

 What excites me about the shoes becoming more and more mine through the Sole Print technology is that I have feet that interact with the ground a little bit awkwardly, and my shoes wear in a way that as time progresses, they become uncomfortable because they begin to lean. With IAMBIC, I feel like just in wearing the shoes as they are now, there's a level of support to help correct the way that my foot meets the ground. And that's something that is really special to me.

Not everybody might experience that, but for those of us who do, it sucks when you have a pair of shoes that you really love and they deteriorate in that way. That's the best part about this entire experience - the Sole Print technology allows them to help perfect that so that as wear begins to happen, my shoe isn't beginning to lean. Instead, it continues to support me in the way that's needed.

Can you describe the moment you first put on your IAMBIC shoes and felt the precision fit? 

The thing that I was surprised by the most with the precision fit of my IAMBICs is that any pressure points that I 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. There wasn't an arch that didn't feel good to me. And I didn't feel like my foot was leaning in one way. It just felt like my foot was made to walk perfectly.

I came in right after leaving work wearing a pair of sneakers that, while they looked good, kind of left my feet in pain. And so there was an immediate stark difference in the feeling once I slipped my foot inside because it was immediate comfort. It was relief from just the pressure of the other shoe. It felt like my foot was truly being enveloped.

Total comfort. That's the best way to put it. It was a shoe that was geared towards just fixing any problems that I might have in another shoe because it's shaped to my unique foot shape. 

How has experiencing precision-fit transformed your expectations for all footwear, both luxury and everyday?

Precision-fit shoes have changed my outlook on shoes in every aspect, not just in terms of comfort and the way they fit my foot, but also in terms of the materials being used to create footwear. The way that the shoe wears and tears and the way that the sole wears down is totally different. With IAMBIC, you're getting a luxury shoe that is going to last. I can't stress how much of a disappointment it is to see brands like Prada and Camper who do charge a premium for their shoes use these materials that if you even go to a shoemaker and say "Hey, I want this resoled or I want to have this stretched out," immediately they're like "No." The material disintegrates if there's heat applied to it and things like that.

That's stuff that people also need to be cognizant of as we move into a realm of wanting things to be green. Having a shoe that's bespoken to you that you know is going to fit means that you're less likely to just go out and replace it. It cuts down that need for consumerism because you have something that's made to fit. You have something that is great for different aspects of places that you might be going on occasions and just fits within your wardrobe in a way that other footwear doesn't. And you know that it's built to last.