Aspects herein provide for a knit component having a tubular rib knit structure that extends away from a base portion of the knit component. The tubular rib knit structure includes at least a first portion extending along a longitudinal side of the tubular rib knit structure, where the first portion exhibits a first visual effect at a first area of the knit component and exhibits a second visual effect at a second area of the knit component.

Systems and methods for manufacturing knitted shoe uppers. An article of fully finished three-dimensionally weft knitted footwear is manufactured through a knitting process which can be performed by an automated V-bed flat knitting machine. During the knitting process, a plurality of knitted members are knitted into shape sequentially and connected to one another through knitted live hinges, each member being a ply, a layer, a layer portion or an appendage. The knitting machine manipulates the knitted members into their destined places as in the final product without cutting and sewing, thereby forming a seamless unitary textile construction. The process creates a seamless, full gauge, dimensionally stable footwear upper, as a unitary textile construction with an integrated anatomically appropriate heel. The entire upper, including the closure element of the upper, may be completed exclusively by the knitting machine, ready for the following shoe making process.

An article of footwear is configured to be worn so as to at least partially cover a wearer's foot. The footwear includes at least one optical fiber on an internal surface of the footwear. The at least one optical fiber is configured to project radiation having a therapeutic wavelength through the at least one optical fiber and toward at least one of the wearer's foot, ankle or leg when the footwear is being worn so as to at least partially cover the wearer's foot.

The product manufactured according to the method is waterproof and provided with a cavity, such as a glove, shoe, or a backpack. Initially, a structure is made in the shape of the product by stitching portions of a laminated material attached together by corresponding seams. The stitched structure is then turned inside out and a thermally-curable silicone compound material, in uncured liquid state, is applied on the seams. The structure with applications is then simultaneously subjected to heating with a curing temperature of the material, and to a vacuum operation with pumping means that suck in air from outside the structure with applications into the structure and extract it outside. The invention also relates to a system for manufacturing according to the method.

A method for manufacturing an integral shoe blank is provided. In the method, a reinforcement piece is woven by a flat knitting machine during a weave process, and the reinforcement piece is made unperceivable through a subsequent side overturning step when viewing from an exterior of a shoe. Thus, with the reinforcement piece, structural strength of the shoe blank is reinforced while better comfort is provided to the foot by a shoe manufactured from the shoe blank.

A method of manufacturing a midsole for an article of footwear includes cutting a pattern of openings at least partway through a midsole with a cutting tool driven by an embroidery machine. An article of footwear includes a midsole defining a pattern of openings extending at least partway through the midsole. An inner surface of the midsole is contoured and the midsole includes upwardly-extending sidewalls. At least some of the openings extend relatively nonparallel with one another through the sidewalls and splay away from one another along longitudinal axes of the openings.

A textile component may include a knitted component with a first knit layer, a second knit layer, and a pocket, where the pocket is located between the first knit layer and the second knit layer. A spacing element may be included, where the spacing element is located within the pocket. An embroidered element on an exterior surface of the first knit layer may be included, where the embroidered element extends through the first knit layer but does not extend through the second knit layer.

An article of apparel includes a multilayered knit fabric structure. The knit fabric structure includes a first knit layer and a second knit layer, and a resilient intermediate knit layer disposed between and coupling with the first knit layer and the second knit layer. The intermediate knit layer has a corrugated shape along a first direction of the intermediate knit layer with consecutive peaks that are oriented in opposing directions such that the peaks comprise a set of first peaks oriented in a first peak direction and a set of second peaks oriented in a second peak direction that opposes the first peak direction. The first peaks of the intermediate knit layer connect with the first knit layer and the second peaks of the intermediate knit layer connect with the second knit layer.

An article may include first and second components comprising non-woven textiles and a third component positioned between the first two components. A first surface of the third component that is adjacent the first component comprises a thermoplastic polymer material, and the third component is fused with a first region of the first component and unfused with a second region of the first component. A method of manufacturing the article, which may be an article of wear, includes arranging the components to form a stacked configuration so that the third component is positioned between the first and second components. Heat and compression may be applied to at least a first region of the first component to fuse the first region with the third component, whereas a second region of the first component may remain unfused to the second component.

Described herein is a 3D spacer fabric reinforced composite, a process for producing it, a method of using it in footwear, and a footwear including it.