Tips from the Founders: How to Wear Your MODEL T

IAMBIC engineers precision-fit footwear built to the millimeter through advanced smartphone scanning, AI, and biomechanics. Designed in New York City and crafted in Portugal, your foundation begins with the MODEL T.

Recognized as a TIME Best Invention and backed by the U.S. National Science Foundation.

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You can feel the difference in the first few steps, but the best fit starts before you take a step.

The MODEL T is built on structure, a steady platform, a full lacing system, and premium leather that gets better with wear. Those benefits show up best when the shoe is put on the right way, every time.

Footwear researchers consistently find that comfort is a real, measurable outcome, and fit, fixation, materials, and how the shoe interacts with the foot over time are the biggest drivers of comfort (Menz & Bonanno, 2021).

Below are the founder-approved habits that protect the structure of the shoe and help you lock into your intended fit.

5 Tips from the IAMBIC Founders

1. Unlace fully

Open the laces completely before putting your shoes on or taking them off.

Why it matters: a structured shoe is designed to hold its shape. Fully unlacing allows a clean entry so the upper and heel stay upright, reducing unnecessary stress on the collar and internal structure. Footwear care and construction guidance consistently recommends unlacing rather than forcing entry to preserve shape and fit over time (Repetto, n.d.).

Reminder: if you have to "force" entry, loosen one more set of eyelets.

2. Guide your foot in

Slide your foot in gently, keeping the heel collar upright. A shoehorn is a smart tool here, especially in the first few wears.

Why it matters: the heel counter stabilizes the rearfoot. Repeatedly stepping on the heel to get into a shoe can deform this structure, and once deformed, it does not fully recover. Shoe care guidance across performance and dress footwear highlights heel counter damage as a common cause of reduced fit quality and heel discomfort (FootJoy, n.d.).

Reminder: think "glide," not "push."

3. Seat the heel before you lace

Before you touch the laces, press your heel firmly down and back into place.

Why it matters: proper fit starts at the heel and carries forward. Seating the heel first ensures your foot is positioned consistently on the platform before the upper is secured. Footwear comfort emphasizes that comfort emerges from how securely the foot is held and how well the shoe interfaces with individual anatomy rather than from any single material or feature (Menz & Bonanno, 2021).

Reminder: stand up, tap your heel gently once, then lace.

4. Lock in the fit with the full lacing system

Tighten the laces until your foot feels anchored, snug, stable, and supported, without any need to grip with your toes.

Why it matters: lacing directly affects how much the foot moves inside the shoe. In a controlled laboratory study, looser lacing was associated with increased in-shoe foot displacement and heel movement compared to properly secured lacing (Fiedler et al., 2011).

A broader review of footwear construction also identifies fixation systems, including lacing, as key contributors to stability, comfort, and overall shoe performance (Orr et al., 2022).

Reminder: aim for "held," not "compressed." If you feel pressure hotspots on top of the foot, re-lace with even tension rather than pulling hard in one section.

5. Let the leather evolve

Full-grain leather is a collagen-fiber network with viscoelastic behavior, which is a technical way of saying it responds to repeated flexing and use by becoming more supple.

Why it matters: Leather is a layered collagen fiber network and it shows time-dependent, viscoelastic behavior under load, including creep, which helps explain why it can feel more supple with repeated wear (Li et al., 2009).

Reminder: your first few wears are about consistency. Lace the same way, seat the heel the same way, and let the material adapt gradually.

The simple routine that gets it right in 20 seconds

• Unlace fully.
• Keep the heel collar upright, guide your foot in.
• Seat the heel all the way back.
• Lace evenly, then finish with a firm, secure tie.
• Take five steps, then micro-adjust tension if needed.