Method of forming an article of footwear

A method of forming an upper for an article of footwear, the method comprising:

• providing a first material layer over a shoe last by spray forming polymer materials onto the last, wherein the shoe last includes a plurality of structural features formed on an exterior surface of the last;
• providing a second material layer over the first material layer by spray forming polymer materials over the first material layer and over the last such that the first and second material layers adhere to each other at an interface between the first and second material layers;
• removing the material layers from the last and turning the material layers inside out such that the first material layer includes an exposed surface that forms an exterior surface of the upper;
• providing a plurality of elongated structural features on an exterior surface of the last that form openings that extend through the first and second material layers spray formed onto the last and over the first material layer;
• and
• applying a component over a part of the first material layer prior to providing the second material layer over the first material layer such that the component is disposed between the first and second material layers of the upper, wherein the component comprises a plurality of annular members applied over the elongated structural features so as to be located at the openings and between the first and second material layers;
• wherein, after removing the material layers from the last and turning the material layers inside out, the exterior surface of the upper includes raised exterior surface portions that correspond with and are inverted in contour in relation to the structural features on the exterior surface of the shoe last and non-raised exterior surface portions that surround the raised exterior surface portions, the raised exterior surface portions comprise three dimensionally raised surface features formed over at least 50% of the exterior surface of the upper, and the upper has a first thickness at the raised exterior surface portions that is greater than a second thickness of the upper at the non-raised exterior surface portions.

A method of forming an upper for an article of footwear, the method comprising:

• providing a first material layer over a shoe last;
• providing a second material layer over the first material layer such that the first and second material layers adhere to each other at an interface between the first and second material layers, wherein one or both of the first material layer and second material layer is provided by spray forming a polymer material onto the last;
• and
• removing the material layers from the last and turning the material layers inside out such that the first material layer includes an exposed surface that forms an exterior surface of the upper;
• wherein the first material layer is provided over the last by spray forming a polymer material onto the last, and the method further comprises:
• providing an elongated structural feature on an exterior surface of the last to form an opening through the first material layer;
• and
• applying a textile material over the first material layer such that, after the material layers are removed from the last, the textile material underlies the first material layer and a portion of the applied textile material is visible through the first material layer at the opening.