A method of manufacturing an article that includes providing an element formed of an elastomeric material or composite; placing the surface of the element in contact with a substrate; and affixing the element to the substrate. The element includes an uncured, partially cured, or fully cured UV radiation curable elastomeric material and optionally one or more regions of an adhesive material. The element is affixed to the substrate while the surface of the element is in contact with a surface of the substrate by increasing a temperature of at least a portion of the element, applying pressure to at least a portion of the element, or exposing the uncured or partially cured UV radiation curable material to UV radiation in an amount and for a duration of time that is sufficient to partially cure the uncured material or to fully cure the partially cured material.

A running shoe includes medial and lateral eyelets arranged on the medial and lateral side in the longitudinal direction from the front foot area of the running shoe to the heel section, wherein in each case a medial eyelet and a lateral eyelet located at the same height in the longitudinal direction form an eyelet pair; reinforcing ribs are arranged on the medial and lateral side in the front foot area, wherein the reinforcing ribs are arranged at an acute rib angle to the longitudinal direction of the running shoe, and a lace having lace sections for lacing, wherein the lace is led through the eyelets in such a way that the lace sections extending from the eyelets of the first lace pair in relation to the front foot area, each run at an acute lacing angle to the longitudinal direction to at least one further eyelet closer to the heel section.

A bootie for use in a footwear item, a method of making the bootie, and a footwear item including the bootie are provided. The bootie provides the upper of the footwear item that will surround the wearer's foot. The bootie includes a body formed from a single air permeable, moisture vapor permeable, and waterproof sheet formed from a plurality of layers of material laminated together. The body has a bottom portion that is located under a wearer's foot in use. The body defines an opening through which a wearer's foot will extend when in use. A single bottom seam extends substantially an entire length of the bottom portion of the body between a toe-end and a heal-end of the body.

Manufacturing of a shoe or a portion of a shoe is enhanced by executing various shoe-manufacturing processes in an automated manner. For example, shoe parts may be retrieved and temporarily assembled according to preset relative positions to form part stacks. The part stacks may be retrieved with the relative positioning of the shoe parts being maintained and placed at a stitching machine for more permanent attachment via stitching of the parts to form a shoe assembly. Movement during stitching of a conveyance mechanism that transfers the part stack from the stacking surface to the stitching machine and movement of a needle associated with the stitching machine may be controlled by a shared control mechanism such that the movements are synchronized with respect to one another. Vision systems may be leveraged to achieve movement and position information between and at machines and locations.

An article of footwear is provided, which may include an upper and a sole structure. The upper may include an elastic skin material forming at least a portion of an external surface of the upper. In addition, the upper may include substantially inelastic reinforcing material selectively located adjacent portions of the elastic skin material, wherein the elastic skin material is more elastic than the substantially inelastic reinforcing material.

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.

Comfortable, protective, durable, and lightweight footwear with minimal component parts. Both the footwear and the method of constructing the same is streamlined.

A flexible shoe includes an under sole, a foot bed, a first over-foot portion, and a second over-foot portion. The under sole is formed of ballistic nylon. The foot bed is arranged on an upper surface of the under sole. The first over-foot portion is attached to the under sole and is configured to flexibly overly an instep of a foot of a user forward of an ankle of the user. The second over-foot portion is configured to flexibly wrap around a heel of the user rearward of the ankle of the user and includes a tab extending toward and coupled a heel portion of the under sole. The under sole, the first over-foot portion, and the second over-foot portion define a cavity configured to enclose the foot of the user. The foot bed is positioned entirely within the cavity.

In one aspect of the disclosure, a knitted component may have a medial part, a lateral part, a forefoot region, a midfoot region, and a rearfoot region. The rearfoot region may include a first zone having a first level of stretch and extending from a lower region of one of the medial part and the lateral part toward an upper heel region. The first zone may have an elongate portion. The knitted component may include a second zone adjacent the first zone and having a second level of stretch greater than the first level of stretch. The second zone may extend into the medial part and the lateral part and may substantially cover a calcaneus region.

An upper may be included with an article of footwear. The upper may include a textile portion, the textile portion forming a throat area of the upper. The upper may further include a base portion, the base portion extending to a biteline area of the upper. The upper may further include a tie structure, the tie structure extending through a first opening of the textile portion and a second opening of the base portion to secure the textile portion to the base portion.