Abstract: A shoe (1), in particular a sports shoe, comprising a vamp (2) and a sole (3), said vamp (2) presenting side portions (4, 5), a front portion (7), a rear portion (6) and a portion (8) arranged to lie on the front part of the foot of a user wearing the shoe (1), the sole (3) presenting a metatarsal front portion (10), an arched central portion (11), and a rear heel portion (12). At least one among said vamp (2) and said sole (3) presents a part comprising a very hard ceramic material able to confer on said part a high wear resistance and hence a long life. This material is ceramic.

Abstract: A system for providing a shoe customized to a person includes a plurality of shoe cavity units each having an upper portion and a sole assembly coupled to the upper portion to form a shoe cavity configured to accommodate a foot. Also included is a plurality of interchangeable first shoe components each configured to be coupled to a shoe cavity unit and each configured to provide substantially the same first footwear function but having a different physical attribute based on differences among wearers, and a plurality of interchangeable second shoe components each configured to be coupled to a shoe cavity unit and each configured to provide substantially the same second footwear function but having a different physical attribute based on differences among wearers.

Abstract: A method for providing a custom shoe to a consumer, including identifying at least one characteristic about a consumer that is present within the retail store, the at least one characteristic relating to the consumer's foot. Also included is selecting a plurality of pre-fabricated footwear components based on the at least one characteristic, assembling the plurality of prefabricated footwear components into a custom shoe that is customized to the consumer, and presenting the custom shoe to the consumer before the customer leaves the retail store.

Abstract: An adaptable shoe includes an upper portion and a sole assembly connected to the upper portion to provide a shoe cavity. The sole assembly includes a first sole segment, a second sole segment positioned adjacent to and substantially coplanar with the first sole segment, and a deformable member connecting the first sole segment to the second sole segment to provide a substantially planar sole assembly that can be expanded in a width direction in order to adapt the size of the shoe in a width direction.