A shoe includes a sole and upper secured to the sole. The upper has a knitted element formed of unitary one-piece construction on a knitting machine. The knitted element includes a Moc seam allowance within a toe region, lateral and medial metatarsal regions, and lateral and medial ball regions. The upper has a Moc seam formed in part by the knitted element. The Moc seam is in at least the toe region, the lateral metatarsal region, and the medial metatarsal region. The Moc seam includes a core around which the Moc seam allowance is wrapped and stitched to itself to contain the core at least partially within a cavity formed by the Moc seam allowance.

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. The knitting process includes manipulating one or more double-knit stitch types and joining the stitches exclusively in the knitting process to create a seamless upper to fit a foot. 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. The knitting process includes knitting one or more reinforcement knitting yarns into one or more portions of the upper. These portions are then transformed into fiber-reinforced polymer composite fabric sections of the upper in a post process.

Methods for manufacturing articles of footwear including forming a first upper on a textile manufacturing machine and forming a second upper on the textile manufacturing machine at a time that at least partially overlaps with formation of the first upper. The first upper and the second upper are formed at separate locations of the textile manufacturing machine.

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.

Methods for manufacturing articles of footwear including forming a first upper on a textile manufacturing machine and forming a second upper on the textile manufacturing machine at a time that at least partially overlaps with formation of the first upper. The first upper and the second upper are formed at separate locations of the textile manufacturing machine.

A footwear assembly having an upper that comprises a neoprene sock with a foot portion integrally connected to a leg portion. The foot portion has heel, vamp and under-foot portions. The leg portion has front shin, side wall, and rear calf-side portions. The upper has a unitary, outer, injection molded layer molded directly onto the foot and shin portions of the neoprene sock, while the sidewall and rear calf-side portions remain substantially uncovered by the injection molded layer. The injection molded layer encases the foot portion of the neoprene sock. The injection molded layer on the shin portion defines a shin guard portion having a necked down area integrally connected to the injection molded layer at the vamp portion, wherein the shin guard extends upwardly from the necked-down portion in an outwardly diverging shape away from the vamp.

An article of footwear includes a midsole component and a seamless braided upper having a bottom peripheral portion connected to the midsole component. The seamless braided upper extends from a forefoot region to a heel region and from a lateral side to a medial side of the article of footwear. The bottom peripheral portion defines a bottom opening in the seamless braided upper, wherein the bottom peripheral portion extends along the forefoot region, the lateral side, the heel region, and the medial side of the article of footwear.

A shoe includes a sole, a shoe upper attached to the sole, and a string member disposed at the sole and the shoe upper such that the string member extends over an area from a forefoot to a hindfoot of a foot, the string member being movable relative to the sole and the shoe upper. The string member is configured such that when the foot is bent at metatarsophalangeal joints and an MP area of the sole is bent and warped in a vertical direction and stretched, a second extension portion is pulled toward a front portion by bending of a first extension portion.

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.

Aspects herein are directed to braided articles and methods for their manufacture. The braided articles may include articles of footwear having braided uppers. The article of footwear may comprise a sole and a braided upper comprising a toe portion having a toe seam, a heel portion comprising a seamless braided structure, and a throat portion. The toe portion may comprise a base yarn. The throat portion may comprise a stretch yarn. Additionally, the heel portion may comprise both the stretch yarn and the base yarn.