A manufacturing process involving a series of discrete operations can be modified by adding, removing, or reordering operations, without design changes to the equipment. The manufacturing process uses a frame comprising one or more alignment tabs. Each alignment tab comprises an alignment element. The alignment element interacts with a corresponding alignment element at a manufacturing station to identify to the manufacturing station the position and orientation of the frame. The frame supports a material in a known position and orientation relative to the frame, allowing the manufacturing station to infer the position and orientation of the pliable material on the frame from the interaction of the alignment elements on the frame and the manufacturing station. The operations at any particular manufacturing station can therefore be positioned independent of what operations, if any, have come before, or in what order.

An article of footwear includes an upper defining a foot-receiving cavity with a heel region, and a heel support device extending around the rear of a heel region from a lateral side to a medial side. The heel support device may include a plurality of slats and a base, the plurality of slats providing a progressive gradient of lengths and/or widths, and/or one or more pegs extending from the device for attachment to a footwear upper, and/or an elongated tip that may be disposed in a cavity of an extension of a heel collar of the upper.

An article of footwear and a method of manufacturing the same is provided. The article comprises an upper having an inner layer and an outer layer coupled to the inner layer, such that the inner layer and the outer layer define a closed pocket therebetween. An insert is disposed in the closed pocket. The outer layer is formed of an at least partially transparent material, such that the insert is at least partially visible through the outer layer. The method comprises placing the insert in a recess defined by the outer layer of the upper, such that the insert abuts an inner surface of the outer layer and positioning the inner layer on the inner surface of the outer layer over the recess and the insert, such that the inner layer and outer layer form the closed pocket at the recess with the insert disposed within the closed pocket.

A shoe includes a shoe sole and an upper coupled to the shoe sole. The upper has an upper body and an annular holding portion. The upper body has an opening portion for entry and removal of a wearer's foot. The annular holding portion is stretchable and configured to hold the wearer's foot. The annular holding portion is coupled to the opening portion. The opening portion has an edge that includes a first edge portion and a second edge portion. The first edge portion is located on a rear end in a longitudinal direction. The second edge portion is located forward of the first edge portion. The holding portion has a first degree of mobility relative to the first edge portion and a second degree of mobility relative to the second edge portion. The second degree of mobility is higher than the first degree of mobility.

A shoe having a shoe upper including multiple welds in selected locations on the shoe upper. The welds may be selectively located on the upper to provide structure and support to the specific portions of a shoe upper.

A method for manufacturing an integral shoe blank is provided. In the method, a reinforcement piece is woven by a flat knitting machine during a weave process, and the reinforcement piece is made unperceivable through a subsequent side overturning step when viewing from an exterior of a shoe. Thus, with the reinforcement piece, structural strength of the shoe blank is reinforced while better comfort is provided to the foot by a shoe manufactured from the shoe blank.

An upper for an article of footwear includes a first material defining a void operable to selectively receive a foot. The first material includes an outer surface. The upper also includes a first edge at least partially circumscribing the void at an uppermost extremity of the upper and a second edge disposed at a lowermost extremity of the upper. The upper further includes a first biasing member (i) disposed at the outer surface of the upper, (ii) attached to the first material, and (iii) spaced apart from the first edge and the second edge. The first biasing member is operable to exert a biasing force on the first material to bias the first edge away from the second edge.

An article of footwear includes a sole structure and an upper. The upper may include a first and a second section and partially define a foot-receiving cavity over the sole structure. The first section may be fixed to the sole structure and the second section may articulate between an access position and a use position. The foot-receiving cavity may be more exposed in the access position to allow easier foot entry. A strap may extend from one of the first and the second section. A looped handle may extend from the strap and may at least partially form a loop. The strap may extend across the second section of the upper when the second section is in the use position. The strap may have a distal portion configured to releasably secure to one of the first section or the second section with the looped handle exposed.

An article of footwear comprising a knitted component and a containment piece are disclosed. The containment piece can be a textile element that in some aspects is also knitted. The containment piece is provided on a medial side of the article of footwear, where one end of the containment piece is secured to the sole structure, and the other end is secured to the knitted component via one or more containment piece lacing loops and one or more lacing loops of the knitted component. The one or more lacing loops of the knitted component and the one or more containment piece lacing loops can be formed from an inlaid tensile strand. A method of manufacturing the knitted component and the containment piece is also described herein.

Disclosed herein are articles of footwear including an upper, a plate including a first polyolefin resin, and a rand are disclosed herein. The rand is coupled with the surface of the upper, the surface of the plate, or both. The rand is more flexible or less rigid than the plate. Methods of making articles of footwear are also provided.