A blank of flexible sheet material used to form and article of footwear upper and an article of footwear having a sole attached to the upper. According to one embodiment the blank of flexible sheet material includes a main bottom portion having a front toe area, a rear heel area and opposed sides, said main bottom portion being in the general shape of a foot sole. A front strap portion having an elongated shape extends outward from one of the opposed sides of the main bottom portion near the front toe area and having a free end, and a pair of heel-strap flaps extend outward from opposite sides of the main bottom portion near the rear heel area and configured to form an enclosed heel portion and a rear strap of the shoe upper. According to another embodiment the front strap is formed separately from the main bottom portion and pair of heel-strap flaps.

A shoe comprises a flexible shell having an internal space and a sole body accommodated in the shell. The shell includes a bottom wall portion and a peripheral wall portion. The bottom wall portion and a portion of the peripheral wall portion adjacent to the bottom wall portion define a lower space which is a space of the internal space in which the sole body is disposed. A portion of the peripheral wall portion located above the portion adjacent to the bottom wall portion forms an upper space of the internal space that is a space in which the wearer's foot is inserted. The bottom wall portion covers a lower surface of the sole body and thus has an external surface configuring a tread of the shoe.

A method of manufacturing a shoe includes preparing a flexible shell having an internal space, preparing an upper body in a form of a bag, the upper body being provided with an opening in a portion corresponding to a topline, preparing a sole body, accommodating the upper in the shell, partially fixing the shell and the upper body, and forming the upper body with a last being located in the upper body accommodated in the shell, taking the last out of the formed upper body, and inserting the sole body in the shell.

An athletic performance shoe with an open toe and an open heal for improved ventilation and comfort. The body of the shoe should be of suitable flexible material, such as the “Flyknit” fabric used by Nike, Inc. The shoe should include standard laces for enclosing the user's foot in the shoe as the laces suitably secure the shoe about the foot. The interior of the shoe should include soft, malleable padding which forms to the user's foot such that users with wide feet, narrow feet, or other factors will be comfortable in the shoe and the shoe will form around their foot without slipping or uncomfortably compressing the foot. A preferred embodiment would have a thin, highly-flexible sole. The open toe and heel being the primary features of the shoe.

There is provided a method for knitting a shoe upper that can allow the reinforcement degree of the shoe upper to be changed with a small number of yarn feeders. A method for knitting a shoe upper (1) including an instep cover section (3) that covers a portion on an instep side of a wearer and a sole cover section (2) that covers a sole of the wearer is provided. The instep cover section (3) and the sole cover section (2) are three-dimensionally knitted in a seamless manner; and in the knitting process, at least one base section (10) configuring a part of the shoe upper (1) is knitted using a base knitting yarn containing a non-thermal adhesive yarn and a thermal adhesive yarn, and a reinforcement knitting yarn containing a thermal adhesive yarn is interwoven in the base section (10) to reinforce the base section (10). In this case, the number of knitting with the reinforcement knitting yarn with respect to the base section (10) is changed.

The present invention provides a modular shoe adapted to be configured by a wearer comprises: a sole capable of receiving a shoe upper for arrangement over a wearer's foot by at least one channel. In this way the wearer is able to configure multiple shoe arrangements by use of modular parts that are interchangeable to create customised shoes that are lighter and can be packed away smaller than traditional shoes.

A method of manufacturing an article of footwear from a flat pattern is provided. The method includes cutting a first cut in a first material through the top surface (502) and the bottom surface of the first material. The method continues with coupling an overlay (500) on the first material top surface (502) such that the overlay (500) extends over the first cut and obscures the first material top surface (502). The method continues with forming the flat pattern having the first material with the first cut and the overlay (500) into a dimensional article of footwear configured to receive a foot. The first material bottom surface is more interior to the dimensional article of footwear than the top surface (502).

Footwear with enhanced wearing comfortability, stability and orthotic foot support are disclosed. The footwear comprises built-in intrinsic midsole, anatomically shaped footbed having a functional arch concavity on a medial side, and deep heel cup. The built-in intrinsic midsole provides ideal foot support and function. Raised sidewalls accentuate a deep heel cup, which controls and matches the natural anatomic shape of the foot. The midsole is made by direct single density injection with integrated orthotic contour. The direct injection midsole to upper creates a strong bond, and resolves a potential of delaminating soles. Furthermore, it eliminates the need and cost of cementing, and improves instant fit/comfort.

Shoe uppers having smooth seams and methods for producing them are disclosed. In one embodiment the upper uses thermoplastic seam tape which forms bonds between contiguous upper sections after being subjected to heat and/or pressure. In another embodiment, different parts of the shoe can be joined using hidden seams. Close seams can also be covered with a transfer material adapted to give the interior and/or exterior of the upper a smooth surface. In yet another embodiment, a method is disclosed which allows three-dimensional upper sections to be bonded on a last using thermoplastic seam tape.

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. The interior surface may define a void. A tongue and the knit element may have a common yarn, and the tongue may extend through a throat area of the upper. The tongue may comprise a lateral edge, a medial edge, and a forward portion. At least one of the lateral edge and the medial edge of the tongue may be unsecured to the knit element. The tongue and the knit element may comprise a common yarn at least at the forward portion of the tongue.