An outsole (1) for a shoe has a backing member (4) of thermoplastic rubber
and on an area of the exterior surface of that backing member an
intermediate layer (12) of thermoplastic polyurethane and an outermost
layer of fabric (10), the area comprising at least 51 percent of the
contact surface of the outsole. In producing the outsole, a sheet of
fabric is overlain with a sheet of thermoplastic urethane, the sheet is
heated to about the melting point of the TPU to permit the TPU to adhere
to the fabric, and the fabric is cooled. The TPU-covered fabric is cut to
the size and shape required to fit a backing member, and position in a
mold on a bottom surface of a mold, and a quantity of TPR is injected at
a temperature lower than the melting point of the TPU but high enough to
render the TPU tacky, to insure the inherence of the TPU-covered fabric
to the backing, including the resultant outsole.