The present application provides for a shoe cover for protecting cleated shoes from contact with the ground while also allowing the wearer to run or engage in sporting activities while wearing the product, as well as kits that include the shoe cover and methods for the use and manufacturing of the shoe cover. A shoe cover as provided herein includes a sole, a first cover, a second cover, a first fastener, and a second fastener. Another shoe cover as provided herein includes a sole, a cover, and a fastener.

The present disclosure is directed to uncured compositions that comprise a mixture of an uncured rubber with a polymeric hydrogel which, when cured to form crosslinks in the rubber, form elastomeric materials. The present disclosure is also directed to methods of using the uncured compositions and the elastomeric materials. The elastomeric materials can be used to make and/or incorporated into various types of articles (e.g., footwear, apparel, sporting equipment, or components of each).

The present disclosure, in general, provides for elastomeric materials which, when they contact water, take up water reversibly, and undergo a dry to wet “character change” in which the appearance of the elastomeric material, its physical properties, or both, is altered.

A protective covering device for the bottom of an athletic shoe having cleats, spikes, studs, or other traction and stability-enhancing protrusions is disclosed. The covering protects against damage—to both cleats and hard surfaces underfoot—while at the same time being aesthetically pleasing and durable, fitting the profile of the shoe, and being easy to use. The protective covering also helps to avoid grass, dirt, mud and other foreign objects becoming stuck in the cleats. The protective covering may attach to the shoe in a variety of manners, including by cage or teeth-like gripping mechanisms, by side grips, by elastic band, by drawstring, adhesion, vacuum, or another mechanism.

The present disclosure is directed to articles that include a cured coating that includes a matrix of crosslinked polymers and optionally a colorant (e.g., pigment particles or dye or both). The cured coating can include a matrix of crosslinked polymers. The cured coating is a product of crosslinking a coating composition comprising uncrosslinked polymers (e.g., a dispersion of uncrosslinked polymers in a carrier to form the matrix of crosslinked polymers), wherein the uncrosslinked polymers are crosslinked to form the matrix of crosslinked polymers. The matrix of crosslinked polymers can be elastomeric. The present disclosure is also directed to articles including these bladders, methods of forming these bladders, and methods of making articles including these bladders, where the bladders include the cured coating.

Present aspects are directed to an interlocking braided shoe and midsole system comprising a midsole insert having a plurality of protruding studs and a braided upper comprising a tubular containment structure. The tubular containment structure has a first zone comprising a first braid density and first braid configuration defining a plurality of apertures located on a top surface of the braided upper and a second zone having a second braid density and a second braid configuration defining a plurality of apertures located on the bottom surface of the braided upper. The plurality of apertures of the second braid configuration correspond to the plurality of protruding studs such that the plurality of protruding studs extend below an exterior surface of the braided upper through the plurality of apertures of the second braided configuration, coupling the bottom surface of the midsole insert with the braided upper.

The present disclosure provides for articles including a structure having one or more channels that allow water to contact a water-swellable material. Absorption of water by the water-swellable material causes the topography of the outward-facing surface (10) of the structure to be altered, which can improve traction (95). The structure described herein can be used to make and/or be incorporated into various types of articles or components of articles. The article can be an article of footwear (100, 1, 75), a component of an article of footwear (100, 1, 75), an article of apparel, a component of an article of apparel, an article of sporting equipment, or a component of an article of sporting equipment.

The present disclosure is directed to articles that include one or more coated fiber(s) (i.e., fiber(s) with a cured coating disposed thereon), where the coating includes a matrix of crosslinked polymers and optionally a colorant (e.g., pigment particles or dye or both). The cured coating is a product of crosslinking a coating composition including uncrosslinked polymers (e.g., a dispersion of uncrosslinked polymers in a carrier, wherein the uncrosslinked polymers are crosslinked to form the matrix of crosslinked polymers). The present disclosure is also directed to articles including the coated fibers, methods of forming the coated fibers and articles, and methods of making articles including the coated fibers.

The present disclosure is directed to articles that include a cured coating that includes a matrix of crosslinked polymers and optionally a colorant (e.g., pigment particles or dye or both). The cured coating can include a matrix of crosslinked polymers. The cured coating is a product of crosslinking a coating composition comprising uncrosslinked polymers (e.g., a dispersion of uncrosslinked polymers in a carrier to form the matrix of crosslinked polymers), wherein the uncrosslinked polymers are crosslinked to form the matrix of crosslinked polymers. The matrix of crosslinked polymers can be elastomeric. The present disclosure is also directed to articles including these bladders, methods of forming these bladders, and methods of making articles including these bladders, where the bladders include the cured coating.

Articles of footwear in accordance with some aspects of this technology include a simple construction that includes three main parts, with each made from a single material and fit together in a releasable manner. The invention enhances the recyclability and sustainable nature of the article of footwear and shoe. At least some more specific aspects of this technology relate to footwear structure that may include three main parts: (a) an outer cage, which may include a single piece having features of: (i) a footwear upper and (ii) a sole structure having one or more cleat outer shells; (b) an inner upper component; and (c) a chassis and heel counter component with a bottom surface thereof that includes one or more cleat inserts and supports that fit inside the one or more cleat outer shells.