A footwear article is provided comprising an upper and a wear guard. In at least one example, the wear guard may be structured with bellows extending along an edge of a lacing structure of the footwear article, the bellows positioned between the lacing structure and a toe of the footwear article.

A running shoe can include a sole and an upper formed separately from and connected to the sole. The sole can include a toe cap connected to a toe portion of the sole, at least one drainage hole positioned at and extending through the toe cap, a drainage hole cover including a flexible water permeable material extending over and visually obscuring the at least one drainage hole, the drainage hole cover extends over an area of the toe cap adjacent to and surrounding the drainage holes, and a foot cavity defined at least in part by an interior surface of the upper.

The footwear includes a base having a toe portion, a heel portion opposing the toe portion, a base left and right side, and a bottom surface to engage the ground when worn by a user. The footwear additionally includes a base top surface opposing the base bottom surface, a toe box permanently coupled to the toe portion of the base at the top surface, and a counter permanently coupled to the heel portion of the base at the top surface. The footwear further includes a left and right support structure permanently coupled to the top surface of the base between the toe box and the counter on each side of the base, and a detachable left and right panel configured to detachably connect to the respective left and right support structure.

The present disclosure suggests an elastic structure body for safety shoes and safety shoes including the same. The elastic structure body 300 according to some embodiments is formed in a midsole 30 arranged between a lower portion of an insole 40 and an upper portion of a penetration-resistant insert 20, and includes a plurality of upper recesses 330 recessed from an upper surface 310 toward a lower surface 320 by a predetermined depth. The plurality of upper recesses 330 are individually deformable. In this case, shapes of the upper recesses positioned at pressing points to which pressure is applied by a wearer's foot are deformed as the elastic structure body 300 is compressed from an initial state in a vertical direction by the pressure of the foot and the penetration-resistant insert 20, and are restored to the initial state when the pressure by the foot is released.

A pointe shoe combines enhanced impact protection for the toes of a dancer provided by at least one viscoelastic polymer layer, with resistance to moisture degradation of internal structural components of the pointe shoe provided by two surrounding layers of silicone that present a moisture barrier against perspiration. The pointe shoe includes a tip portion, front portion, right side portion, and left side portion having an outer fabric layer; an outer silicone layer bonded to the outer fabric layer presenting an outer moisture barrier; a paper mache layer, attached to the silicone layer; a viscoelastic urethane polymer layer, attached to the paper mache layer, to evenly spread impact of pointed toes of the dancer; an inner silicone layer, attached to the viscoelastic urethane polymer layer, the inner silicone layer presenting an inner moisture barrier to protect at least the paper mache layer from moisture; and an inner breathable fabric layer.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a knitted component. The knitted component may have a forefoot portion with a top layer and a bottom layer, where a void is formed between the top layer and the bottom layer, and where the top layer is secured to the bottom layer via at least one common knit structure. A heel area may extend from the bottom layer of the forefoot portion in a longitudinal direction and may be secured to the bottom layer of the forefoot portion via at least one common knit structure. At least one extension may extend from the heel area in a second direction, the second direction being different than the longitudinal direction.

A variety of devices for protecting a user's foot from injury are disclosed. In one instance, the device is an external metatarsal protection device for a shoe or boot, having a sole with a first surface for supporting a wearer's foot and a second surface for contacting a ground area, an upper affixed to the sole, and an integral toe cap. An interior surface of the upper and the first surface of the sole define a receptacle for receiving the wearer's foot. The external protection device is incorporated along an exterior surface of the upper and is positioned to protect at least a metatarsal region of the wearer's foot. In an instance, the external protection device has injection-molded first and second layers of material, with the cushioning elements formed on a surface of the first layer and a plurality of grooves defined on a surface of the second layer.

Footwear is provided including a protective toe element in the form of a rigid protective toe guard nested in a recess defined by a sole component so that the toe guard is of a low profile and has an at least partially closed bottom which cleanly transitions to an upper surface of the sole component. The footwear and its components provide impact and crushing force resistance, yet the footwear is low profiled and flexible enough to provide enhanced mobility and comfort to a wearer.

A one-piece, triangular shoe insert for use in pointed-toe shoes where the toe box extends beyond the tips of the toes. The insert is small enough to fit into a toe box of a pointed toe shoe and not cram the toes. The insert is large enough so that the insert remains in place within a pointed toe box due to friction. The insert is made of a dense but resilient material, so that it also remains in place within a toe box due to expansion of the material against the surface of the interior, curved underside of the toe box. The insert may remain in a shoe for the life of a shoe, or it may be removed by wedging one's index finger or a blunt object such as a flat-edge screwdriver underneath the insert and pulling it out. Upon removal from a shoe, the resilient material from which the one-piece insert is made springs back to its original shape, and the one-piece insert may be reused.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a knitted component. The knitted component may have a forefoot portion with a top layer and a bottom layer, where a void is formed between the top layer and the bottom layer, and where the top layer is secured to the bottom layer via at least one common knit structure. A heel area may extend from the bottom layer of the forefoot portion in a longitudinal direction and may be secured to the bottom layer of the forefoot portion via at least one common knit structure. At least one extension may extend from the heel area in a second direction, the second direction being different than the longitudinal direction.