A sole component having a base, a toe cover and an integral line of
articulation permitting the toe cover to be molded in an "open" position
and moved into a "closed" position during assembly on the article of
footwear. The line of articulation may include a line of reduced
thickness extending laterally across the sole. The line of articulation
may also include breaks defined in the sidewall of the sole in alignment
with the line of reduced thickness. The present invention also provides a
method of forming a sole component generally including the steps of
providing a mold having bottom and top mold parts shaped to cooperatively
define a mold cavity in the shape of a sole component having a toe cover
joined to a base along a line of articulation, closing the mold parts,
injecting a sole forming material into the cavity, removing the sole
component and moving the toe cover about the line of articulation into a
closed configuration for use.