Abstract: Footwear having one or more reinforcement features is disclosed. Footwear having two independent components constructed from a woven material with the strands oriented at specified angles to the plane of the sole of the footwear is disclosed. The footwear may also incorporate a substantially rigid structural collar in the area of the ankle or lower leg. Heel and/or forefoot straps that wrap downwardly and laterally around the heel and/or forefoot may be provided to limit flexing of the ankle and the footwear in a forward or backward direction, respectively. An internal reinforcement structure comprising a plurality of support strips arranged transversely to one another in a criss-cross arrangement is also disclosed.

Abstract: Footwear having one or more reinforcement features is disclosed. Footwear having two independent components constructed from a woven material with the strands oriented at specified angles to the plane of the sole of the footwear is disclosed. The footwear may also incorporate a substantially rigid structural collar in the area of the ankle or lower leg. Heel and/or forefoot straps that wrap downwardly and laterally around the heel and/or forefoot may be provided to limit flexing of the ankle and the footwear in a forward or backward direction, respectively. An internal reinforcement structure comprising a plurality of support strips arranged transversely to one another in a criss-cross arrangement is also disclosed.