A tethered anchor point for a footwear lace element includes various elements. For example, the tethered anchor point includes a tensile strand that attaches to a portion of the footwear article. In addition, the tethered anchor point includes a tensile-strand reinforcement. The tensile-strand reinforcement provides a sliding surface against which the lace element of the footwear article may slide when the lace element is threaded through the tethered anchor point.

The present invention relates to a method for the production of plastic footwear (10; 100) of the “full plastic” type by means of moulding using a polyurethane mixture (M; P). The method comprises the steps of: —providing a mould (20) having a mould cavity (22) defined by at least two impressions (28, 30) and designed to receive a shoe last (24) so as to define, when the mould (20) is closed, an interspace (26) having the shape and dimensions of the plastic footwear (10; 100) to be produced; —spraying a polyurethane mixture (M, P) onto said at least two impressions (28, 30) of the mould cavity (22); —inserting the shoe last (24) inside said mould cavity (22); —closing the mould cavity (22) so that the sprayed polyurethane mixture (M, P) occupies said interspace (26); —opening the mould (20), once at least the demoulding time (td) for the sprayed polyurethane mixture (M, P) has lapsed, such that the sprayed polyurethane mixture (M, P) has solidified inside the interspace (26) forming said plastic footwear (10, 100); —extracting the shoe last (24) from the mould cavity (22); —removing the plastic footwear (10, 100) from the shoe last (24).

A last for forming an upper of an article of footwear includes an exterior surface, where the exterior surface includes a plurality of three dimensional structural surface components disposed over at least 50% of the exterior surface of the last.

The invention relates to footwear and portions thereof having structural features and decorative designs thereon, and related systems and methods for manufacturing same. An exemplary method for providing a feature on a surface of an object includes positioning a laser proximate the surface of the object, directing a laser beam from the laser to the surface of the object to mark or engrave at least a portion of the surface of the object, and moving at least one of the laser and the object to create a pattern on the surface of the object, the pattern providing at least one of an aesthetic and a structural feature on the surface of the object.

The invention relates to footwear and portions thereof having structural features and decorative designs thereon, and related systems and methods for manufacturing same. An exemplary method for providing a feature on a surface of an object includes positioning a laser proximate the surface of the object, directing a laser beam from the laser to the surface of the object to mark or engrave at least a portion of the surface of the object, and moving at least one of the laser and the object to create a pattern on the surface of the object, the pattern providing at least one of an aesthetic and a structural feature on the surface of the object.

A footwear article includes an upper defining apertures spaced apart from one another in a first arrangement. A heel structure has a deformable element attached to a base. The deformable element has pegs spaced apart from one another in the first arrangement and extending through the apertures in the upper. A method of manufacturing a footwear article includes placing a deformable element between an inner layer and an outer layer of an upper and attaching the deformable element to a rigid base. The deformable element includes at least one peg extending outward toward the outer layer. The method includes inserting the peg through the outer layer so that the peg extends through the outer layer and is exposed at an exterior surface of the outer layer. After inserting the peg of the footwear element through the outer layer of the upper, the peg is secured at the exterior surface of the outer layer.

A rapid-entry shoe having an elastic element to enlarge a foot opening of the rapid-entry shoe and also having a stabilizer to prevent a rear portion of the rapid-entry shoe from collapsing downward.

A shoe cover comprises a shoe cover upper comprised of non-woven fabric; a shoe cover opening formed in the shoe cover upper; a shoe cover sole integrated with the shoe cover upper; a first sealing part extending from the top edge to the bottom surface of the shoe cover sole towards the front end of the shoe cover upper; a second sealing part extending from the top edge to the bottom surface of the shoe cover sole towards a rear end of the shoe cover upper; an elastic ring provided within a first accommodating space of the shoe cover upper proximate the shoe cover opening; an elastic strip provided on the shoe cover sole and extending along a front-rear direction; and a plurality of anti-slip strips disposed on the outer bottom surface of the shoe cover sole and comprised of an isotactic polypropylene polymer and/or an isotactic polypropylene derivative.

The present disclosure provides an upper for an article of footwear. The upper may include a knit element defining a portion of at least one of an exterior surface of the upper and an opposite interior surface of the upper. An inlaid strand may extend through the knit element, and a tongue and the knit element may have a common yarn at least at a forward portion of the tongue, and the tongue may extend through a throat area of the upper.

One or more aspects of the present disclosure provide articles of manufacture and components of articles that incorporate an optical element that imparts a structural color to the component or the article. The component comprises a thermoplastic polymeric material, and can include or be made to have a textured surface.