A footwear customization kit comprises a container including an article of footwear, a stand, a steaming bag and a set of instructions. The article of footwear includes one or more customizable portions that can be deformed when heated, including an upper and a customizable insert. The stand and the steaming bag can be used to heat the article of footwear and the customizable portions in a steam environment. The customizable portions can be modified by a shape of a foot inserted into the article of footwear and can permanently retain the shape upon cooling.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a knitted component comprising a course with a plurality of loops. An inlaid strand formed of a second yarn may be included in the knitted component. A first portion of the course may be formed with a first yarn and a second portion of the course may be formed with the second yarn. The inlaid strand may be inlaid within the first portion of the course.

A method for forming an article of footwear includes forming a knitted component. The knitted component may include a first knitted portion and a second knitted portion, where the first knitted portion at least partially forms at least one of a medial side, a lateral side, and a toe area of the upper, and where the second knitted portion forms a tongue area of the upper. The second knitted portion may include a first end and a second end where one of the first end is secured to the first knitted portion via a common knit structure.

A process for providing one or more thermoset polymeric materials onto an object is disclosed wherein said process comprises at least the following steps: Providing a polymeric composition having a viscosity >10 Pa.s at room temperature comprising at least one cross-linkable polymeric material; and then Optionally heating the polymeric composition to achieve a liquid cross-linkable polymeric composition having a viscosity below 4 Pa.s, and then Depositing the polymeric composition onto an object using a spray, swirl or extrusion nozzle and wherein the deposition is performed while the object and/or nozzle are moving to create an object at least partly coated with said polymeric composition; and then Optionally cooling down the at least partly coated object to room temperature, and then Optionally repeating one of foregoing steps, and then Applying a cross-linking treatment selected from radical curing, UV curing and/or heat treatment in order to convert the cross-linkable polymeric material(s) into thermoset polymeric material(s).

An article of footwear (100), apparel (500, 600), and/or sporting equipment (300, 400), and methods of manufacturing thereof, having a hydrogel present on at least a portion of an externally-facing side of the article. The hydrogel is effective in reducing soil accumulation on the article, and/or for reducing soil adhesion to the article.

Articles of footwear including a thermo-molded upper having a skin composed of one or more low melting point thermoplastic polymers. The skin may include at least one of: a base layer composed of a low melting point thermoplastic polymer and a grid layer including a yarn composed of a low melting point thermoplastic polymer. The uppers may be formed by placing a skin and an inflatable bladder into a mold cavity and heating the mold to a predetermined temperature. The inflatable bladder may be inflated such that the skin is pressed against an interior surface of the heated mold cavity to cause the skin to take on the shape of the internal surface of the mold cavity, thereby forming an upper for an article of footwear.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides knitted component comprising with a first surface and a second surface, the first surface facing opposite the second surface. A pod may have the first surface and the second surface, and an edge region may have the first surface and the second surface, where the edge region at least partially demarcates the pod. A first yarn may substantially form the first surface of the pod, where the first yarn is a fusible yarn. A second yarn may substantially form the second surface of the pod, and the second yarn may substantially form the first surface of the edge region.

A method for manufacturing three-dimensional items with flexible walls is provided, by method of a mold and counter-mold between which a volume corresponding to that of the item to be obtained is delimited. The item is made up of laminar parts which are mounted on a template that is fixed to the inner surface of the mold. The laminar parts are joined to one another by means of a material which is injected in molten state through a network of conduits delimited between the counter-mold, template and the facing edges of adjacent laminar parts. The template is made of an elastically deformable material and has a three-dimensional configuration.

An upper for an article of footwear is disclosed. The upper can include a plurality of layers, such as an inner layer, a middle knit layer, and an outer layer. Each of the plurality of layers can provide different functionalities to the upper. The combination of the inner layer, middle knit layer, and the outer layer can be effective at transferring a load from the underfoot region to a position above the biteline.

This application is generally directed to articles including cage structures and related systems and methods. The cage structures have utility in footwear and apparel (e.g., articles of clothing, braces, accessories). In some cases, the article is a footwear article. In some cases, the article is an article of apparel. In some embodiments, the article includes a textile. In some embodiments, the article includes a cage structure (e.g., comprising a polymer) attached to a substrate (e.g., a textile). In some embodiments, the interface of attachment between the substrate and the cage structure is substantially free of an adhesive.