COMPOSITE FOOTWEAR UPPER AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A COMPOSITE FOOTWEAR UPPER

A method of manufacturing a multi-layer, composite footwear upper(70) having a three-dimensional geometry includes the steps of forming a substantially planar composite sheet from two or more layers (10), heating the composite sheet (12), and compression molding the composite sheet into the three- dimensional geometry of the footwear upper (14). The composite sheet (70) is formed by laminating a first layer (20) of thermoplastic foam to a second layer (22) of thermoplastic urethane (TPU), preferably in the form of a TPU film. A third layer (24) of mesh fabric can be interposed between the first (20) and second (22) layers. The composite sheet (70) is compressed after heating in a mold cavity (62) to achieve the desired three-dimensional geometry. The composite sheet (70) can be compression molded into separate sections (172, 174, 176) which are assembled after molding to form the footwear upper (170). Alternatively, the composite sheet (70) can be compression molded into a seamless, unitary footwear upper (270) that requir es minimal, if any, assembly for completion.