Hot melt sequins and methods of applying these sequins are disclosed. The sequins may be stitched to a layer of an article in a pattern to form a relatively rigid structure. The sequins may be made of a hotmelt material and melted to form a continuous structure. The sequins may be located along a lacing region and used as eyelets to secure laces.

An article of footwear may include a sole structure and an upper. The upper may include a first section and a second section and may 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 relative to the first section between an access position and a use position, the foot-receiving cavity being more exposed when the second section is in the access position. A magnetic coupling includes a first coupling member that may be operatively secured to the second section of the upper and a second coupling member may be operatively secured to the sole structure and positioned so that the first coupling member couples with the second coupling member by magnetic force when the second section is in the access position.

An item of footwear includes an upper and a pair of closure mechanisms. The upper includes a shaft and a backstay spaced apart from the shaft to define a pair of gaps. The pair of closure mechanisms selectively couple the backstay to the shaft, and each include at least one coupler and at least one receiver. The coupler is coupled to one of the shaft and the backstay, and the receiver is coupled to the other of the shaft and the backstay. When the receiver is coupled to the coupler, the backstay is coupled to the shaft to restrict movement of the backstay relative to the shaft, and when the receiver is decoupled from the coupler, the pair of closure mechanisms permit movement of the backstay relative to the shaft.

An article of footwear formed from a flat pattern to include a side seam and/or utilizing aperture alignment of multiple flat pattern pieces is disclosed. In aspects, an article of footwear, such as an upper, is formed from a flat pattern and modified into a dimensional article of footwear that includes a side closing. The side closing may comprise adjoined side edges of the flat pattern upper that are secured to each other with a securing element to maintain the dimensional article of footwear in its shape. Alignment of the parts may be provided through at least partial alignment of apertures in the flat pattern upper and apertures in a securing element and/or other flat pattern pieces, including using multi-purpose apertures, allowing streamlined processing and manufacturing of footwear.

A shoe including a sole and an upper, the upper including a shoe opening defined by a rear part, a medial part, a lateral part and a front part, where the top portion of the rear part is curved backward and diagonally upward relative to the bottom portion of the rear part, to facilitate forward sliding of a user's foot into the shoe when the foot enters the s

A shoe is suitable to be made in cooperation with a last having a wear forming portion with a forming volume, and includes an upper unit having a bottom surface and a peripheral surface cooperatively defining a foot space that has a top open end for entry of the wear forming portion and that has a volume smaller than the forming volume of the wear forming portion by 5-10%. The upper unit has a toe stitching portion and a heel stitching portion located on the bottom surface of the upper unit. A sole is fixedly disposed on the bottom surface of the upper unit.

The present invention relates to a shoe upper including a knitted component having a plurality of integrally knitted lines of loops including a set of consecutive lines, wherein each line in the set of consecutive lines includes a plurality of consecutive loops which are interlooped with adjacent loops of the respective line and not interlooped with loops of a line which is not contained in the set, and wherein the set of consecutive lines forms at least a portion of an eyelet which is configured to receive a lace.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a method. The method may include placing an upper on a last, where the upper includes a lower perimeter edge secured to a lasting element, and where the last includes an opening for receiving the lasting element. The method may further include feeding the lasting element at least partially through an opening of the last and tensioning the lasting element to tighten the upper around the last by pulling the tensioning element at least partially through the opening.

An upper includes an upper main body that covers an instep of a foot. A first region and a second region adjacent to the first region are formed in the upper main body . The upper main body includes: a first linear body provided across the first region and the second region or provided only in the second region; and a second linear body provided in the first region while avoiding the second region and having an end located at a boundary portion between the first region and the second region. The first linear body and the second linear body have mutually different stretchability.

A knitted component having an outer perimeter and a common portion, which may be a centrally-located region, such as a throat region and/or a collar region. A plurality of courses of the knitted component extend between the between the outer perimeter and the common portion such that the courses may be radially-extending outwards from the common portion. One or more continuous strand may be inlaid within the knit courses to form a plurality of strand segments that extend within respective ones of the plurality of courses of the knitted component between the outer perimeter and the common portion of the knitted component.