Footwear (50) and methods for manufacturing knitted footwear articles (50). An article of fully finished three-dimensionally weft knitted footwear (50) is manufactured through a knitting process which can be performed by an automated V-bed flat knitting machine. The knitting process includes manipulating one or more double-knit stitch types and joining the stitches exclusively in the knitting process to create a seamless upper (12) to fit a foot. A resulting upper (12) advantageously has no sewn seams and requires no manual post process to cut or sew the upper (12) to create the dimensional shape. The process creates a seamless, full gauge, dimensionally stable footwear upper (12), as a unitary textile construction with an integrated anatomically appropriate heel (2). The entire upper (12), including the closure element of the upper (12), may be completed exclusively by the knitting machine, ready for the following shoe making process.