An article of footwear with an upper including a ribbon structure is disclosed. The ribbon structure comprises ribbon sections running in at least two different directions. Ribbon sections are connected at nodes. Between nodes portions of ribbon act like links joining the nodes. The links can be arranged in various geometries, including a rectangular grid and a triaxial grid. The ribbon structure may extend the entire length of the article of footwear, and may extend through a forefoot, midfoot and heel.

An article of footwear is disclosed that includes at least one of a stretchable upper and an articulated sole structure. The upper may include an exterior layer and an interior layer. The exterior layer forms at least a portion of an exterior of the upper, and the exterior layer includes a plurality of incisions that extend through the exterior layer. The interior layer is located adjacent an inner surface of the exterior layer, and the interior layer is exposed through the incisions. The sole structure may include a connecting portion and a plurality of discrete sole elements. The connecting portion is positioned adjacent the upper and may extend along a longitudinal length of the upper. The sole elements extend from the connecting portion, and the sole elements are separated by a plurality of sipes that extend upward into the sole structure.

An upper for an article of footwear is configured to be connected to a sole structure. The upper includes a knitted component having a base portion that is configured to be disposed adjacent the sole structure. The base portion defines an interior surface and an exterior surface of the knitted component. The base portion defines a base portion passage between the interior surface and the exterior surface. Also, the upper includes a tensile strand that extends through the base portion passage.

A method of forming an article of footwear can include providing an upper in a substantially flat orientation, securing a gathering string along at least a portion of a perimeter of a first surface of the upper with a securing member that is attached to the upper, positioning the upper on a last, and applying tension to the gathering string to at least partially conform the upper to a shape of the last.

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.

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 and includes a sole, an upper attached to the sole and a vamp attached to the upper, wherein the vamp stretches in at least one direction during contact of the sole with an underlying surface.

A shoe upper for a shoe, in particular a sports shoe, is provided having a first portion and a second portion that are jointly manufactured as a knitted fabric, wherein only one of the first portion and the second portion the knitted fabric is reinforced by a coating of a polymer material applied to the shoe upper.

A knitted or woven component including an upper of an article of footwear, the upper including a knitted textile that is knitted together via a plurality of yarn such that the plurality of knitted yarn at least partially forms the knitted component. The article of footwear includes a midsole coupled to the knitted textile of the upper such that the midsole is positioned adjacent to the plurality of knitted yarn that at least partially forms the knitted component of the article of footwear, and an outsole coupled to the midsole on an opposite side of the knitted textile of the upper such that the outsole is separated from the plurality of knitted yarn that at least partially forms the knitted component of the article of footwear by the midsole disposed therebetween.

A knit textile that includes a plurality of yarn that is knitted together to form the knit textile, and the knit textile defines an upper of an article of footwear. A pair of fused regions are formed along the upper, and the plurality of yarn knitted together to form the knit textile is fused to a predefined extent at the pair of fused regions. The article of footwear includes a midsole coupled to the knit textile of the upper such that the midsole is positioned adjacent to the pair of fused regions, and an outsole coupled to the midsole on an opposite side of the knit textile such that the outsole is separated from the pair of fused regions by the midsole.