Embossed fabrics to give contrasting colors

A fabric suitable for embossing to form a pattern thereon comprises a substrate (10) of a thermo-plastic material which carries a coating of fibres (11) such that under the application of heat and pressure the fibres may be compressed into the substrate. The fibres are coloured and the substrate is either colourless or of a colour which contrasts with the fibres. When the fibres are compressed into the substrate, the latter is at least partially revealed so as to produce an area (12) of colour which contrasts with the fibres adjacent to such area.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Embossed fabrics have previously been made by a variety of methods, some of 
which involve adhesion of a facing layer on one side of a compressible 
filler material to a backing layer on the reverse side of such filler 
material so as to compress the filler material at and adjacent to the 
points at which the facing and backing layers are joined, thereby to 
effect the required embossing, which may for example thereby form a 
quilted fabric having a quilted appearance. Generally, it has been desired 
to prevent any change of colour appearing where such embossing has 
occurred, however, by contrast, the present invention seeks to provide a 
colour contrast for decorative or other purposes during an embossing 
operation. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
According to the invention, we provide an embossed fabric comprising a 
coating of fibres of one or more colours on a substrate of a thermoplastic 
material which presents a base colour which contrasts with the fibres 
wherein in selected areas the coating fibres have been compressed by the 
application of heat and pressure into the substrate so as at least 
partially to reveal a colour contrasting with that of the fibres adjacent 
to said selected areas. 
In accordance with the present invention, if the fibres possess a marked 
colour, the substrate may comprise a thermo-plastic material which is 
substantially colourless, for example being transparent or translucent; 
likewise, if the substrate possesses a marked colour, the fibres may be 
colourless, transparent or translucent; and the term "colour" in this 
context should be construed accordingly. 
Even in such cases, where coloured fibres are compressed into a colourless 
substrate or where colourless fibres are compressed into a coloured 
substrate, the effect is to produce a colour contrast between the areas of 
the fabric in which the fibres are unaffected and those adjacent areas in 
which the fibres are compressed into the substrate, but both the substrate 
and the fibres may be positively coloured. 
The invention arises from the surprising discovery that fibres of a 
flock-like material applied to a thermoplastic substrate can be compressed 
by the application of heat and pressure into the substrate so as to effect 
not only an embossing of the flock coating, but also the establishment of 
a colour contrast as a result of the substrate being at least partially 
revealed where the flock fibres have been absorbed into it. Whilst it 
would be expected that the compressed flock fibres would form a 
superficial layer which would continue to mask the colour of the 
substrate, we have found that the fibres can be absorbed into the 
substrate, even where this is a thin layer, to such a degree that the 
colour of the fibre is effectively lost and the colour of the substrate is 
revealed, and although possibly modified by the fibres, nevertheless 
produces a significant visual effect. 
In this way, it is possible to make a decorative patch, for example, for 
application to articles of clothing. However, significantly, the 
thermoplastic substrate may be chosen so as to enable the patch to be 
bonded directly to clothing (or cloth) during the embossing process. 
Thus, the invention also resides in a fabric comprising a coating in the 
form of fibres of one or more colours (which term includes colourless) on 
a substrate of a thermoplastic material which presents a base colour which 
contrasts with the fibres such that the application of heat and pressure 
to the fabric in selected areas causes the fibres to be compressed into 
the substrate and thereby at least partially reveal the substrate to give 
rise to a colour in said selected areas which contrasts with that of the 
fibres adjacent to said selected areas. 
This fabric may therefore be supplied in an unembossed form to the user who 
may simultaneously attach it to a suitable surface possibly forming part 
of an article of clothing, by virtue of the adhesive effect obtained by 
heating and softening the thermoplastic material of the substrate whilst 
the latter is engaged with the surface under pressure, any desired pattern 
being simultaneously formed by the application of heat and pressure in 
selected areas so that the fibres in those areas are absorbed into the 
thermoplastic material of the substrate while the latter is adhered to the 
fabric to which it is applied. 
The fabric in accordance with the invention may also be employed as a 
facing layer on one side (or both sides) of a compressible filler which 
may be embossed or quilted by the application of heat and pressure so as 
simultaneously to indent the filler and emboss the facing layer by 
compressing the fibres into the substrate and producing a contrasting 
colour. For example, by applying heat and pressure at a series of spaced 
points along a line, a quilting effect can be obtained in the thickness of 
the filler, with the appearance of "stitches" along the line due to the 
colour contrast obtained by the action of heat and pressure on the fibre 
coating of the facing layer. 
The substrate itself, however, may be carried by a layer of backing 
material and in this case the substrate may be in the form of a 
discontinuous layer of the thermoplastic material, consisting for example 
of discrete or interconnected stripes, lines, bands, circles, patches, 
etc., so that the substrate itself presents a pattern relative to the 
backing layer (which may contrast by virtue of colour and/or texture) and 
an embossed colour-contrasting pattern can then be formed on the flocked 
thermoplastic substrate covered areas of the fabric. 
The invention further resides in a method of producing a visible image on a 
fabric which consists of a coating in the form of fibres of one or more 
colours (which term includes colourless) on a substrate of a thermoplastic 
material which presents a base colour which contrasts with the fibres, 
wherein in selected areas corresponding to the desired visual image, heat 
and pressure is applied to the fabric so as to compress the fibres into 
the substrate and thereby produce a contrasting colour in said areas. 
The substrate may be made from any suitable thermoplastic material in the 
broadest sense, such as a hot-melt adhesive, PVC, or other similar 
substance which will soften with the application of heat. The 
thermoplastic material may be cast, extruded or otherwise formed into a 
continuous film or sheet which is self-supporting, or it may be formed on 
a carrier material so as to be either permanently united with such 
material or readily releasable therefrom. Where the thermoplastic material 
is permanently united with such a carrier, it may be formed as an 
interrupted or discontinuous layer consisting of separate or discrete 
areas of thermoplastic material. On the other hand, where the 
thermoplastic material is deposited in a releasable manner, it is 
preferably in the form of a layer in which all areas thereof are 
interconnected. However, discrete patches of the thermoplastic substrate 
could be formed in a similar manner to serve, for example, as labels or 
patches. 
The coating may be formed from chopped fibres such as cotton, nylon, rayon, 
preferably having a melting or softening point significantly greater than 
that of the thermoplastic substrate. The coating may be applied to the 
substrate by a conventional electrostatic flocking process. Alternatively, 
the coating may be deposited by such a process (or any other suitable 
process) onto a backing material to which it becomes lightly and 
releasably adhered so that it may then be transferred to the thermoplastic 
substrate by applying the coating of fibres to the substrate under such 
conditions that the fibres adhere thereto, and removing the backing 
material. To facilitate transfer of the fibres, the exposed surface of the 
coating carried by the backing material may be treated with a suitable 
adhesive, or the substrate may be warmed to an extent necessary to make it 
tacky, or the fibres may be applied shortly after the substrate layer has 
been formed and while it is still warm enough to be tacky. 
The embossing step may be carried out immediately after the flocking step, 
for example, in a continuous operation, or subsequently in a separate 
operation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
In accordance with the invention, a flocked fabric which is capable of 
being embossed to produce a visible pattern consists, as shown in FIG. 1, 
of a substrate layer 10 which is formed from a thermoplastic material, 
such as a hot-melt adhesive or PVC or any other suitable material, for 
example, including a cross-linking polymer which initially softens with 
the application of heat and then becomes rigid as curing proceeds. A layer 
of chopped fibres 11 is applied to the whole, or selected parts, of one 
surface of the substrate 10 by any suitable process, such as a 
conventional electrostatic flocking process. The fibres are chosen for 
their colour since they determine the primary appearance of the fabric but 
may be of any appropriate colour, including white or neutral colours or 
even translucent, and the substrate material 10 is chosen to afford a 
contrasting colour. This material may be coloured by conventional means to 
present any desired base colour (including white) or may be colourless, 
translucent or transparent, so long as it gives rise to a colour contract 
relative to the fibres. In use, the application of heat and pressure to 
selected areas of the fabric, for example as indicated at 12, causes the 
substrate 10 to soften and this allows the fibres of the coating 11 in 
that area to be compressed into the softened substrate. It is not 
necessary for the fibres themselves to soften or melt during the process, 
and although they may do so, it is preferred that they do not so as to 
avoid possible problems with the fibres sticking to the press. When the 
source of heat and pressure is removed, the substrate becomes firm or set, 
and the fibres remain trapped. In a typical case, the fibres of the 
coating 11 may have a length of the order of one millimeter and may be 
made of any other wide range of materials, such as cotton, nylon or rayon. 
The thickness of the substrate may be less that 0.5 mm, but in practice it 
has been established that the substrate can so effectively absorb the 
fibres that the colour of the substrate is at least partially revealed so 
as to provide a colour contrast in the area 12 as compared with the 
adjacent areas where the fibres are unaffected. Thus, by chosing fibres of 
a colour which contrasts to the colour of the substrate, a visible pattern 
may be produced. 
Whilst the fibres may be of the same colour throughout the whole area of 
the fabric, it is possible to apply fibres of different colours 
selectively to different parts of the substrate and thereby obtain a 
flocked fabric having a patterned multi-coloured surface on which a 
further pattern in a contrasting colour or colours is formed when the 
fabric is embossed as described above. The fibres in any specific area of 
the fabric may be all of a single colour or may be mixed fibres of various 
colours. 
The substrate 10 may itself be carried by a suitable backing layer forming 
either a permanent or a temporary part of the material. Thus, it may 
comprise a release paper or the like so that the fabric may serve as a 
decorative applique, label or patch for transfer to a fabric or other 
material, including solid or sheet materials of any kind. 
Alternatively, the substrate may be deposited onto a permanent backing 
layer, such as a woven or non-woven material. The backing layer may itself 
be secured in any appropriate manner when required to a further article, 
or it may comprise a fabric for making up into garments, upholstery etc. 
A fabric made as described and shown in FIG. 1 may, as shown in FIG. 2, be 
applied as a facing layer 20 to one side of a sheet of filler material 21 
comprising, for example, a foamed plastics material with a backing layer 
22 of any suitable fabric or other sheet material. This material may be 
embossed or quilted by the application of heat and pressure, for example 
as indicated at 23 so that the thermoplastic material penetrates the foam 
material and, when solidified, holds the foamed material in a state of 
compression. The application of heat and pressure at points 23 
simultaneously causes the fibres of the coating to be pressed into the 
thermoplastic layer and thereby provide a colour contrast where the 
thermoplastic layer is exposed. 
By contacting the material with a heated die that affords, for example, 
spaced points of contact along desired lines of embossing, the effect of 
stitching can be obtained in such a quilted fabric, or in a patch or label 
for visual effect. 
Two sheets of the fabric made as described as shown in FIG. 1 are placed 
back-to-back, i.e. with the substrate 10 in contact. By the application of 
heat and pressure in a generally peripheral region they are joined 
together to form a bag or envelope, which remains open over part of the 
periphery. Through the opening a filler material, such as soft fibres or 
chopped foam material, is introduced. Instead of using solid filler 
material, the envelope may be filled with a foaming reaction mixture to 
form a solid resilient foamed plastics material. In a further operation, 
the peripheral seal is completed to form a cushion on one or both faces of 
which a pattern may be simultaneously or subsequently embossed. 
Alternatively, particularly if a block or slab of soft filler material is 
used, the two sheets of fabric may be joined peripherally and embossed in 
a single operation to form the finished cushion. Likewise, a single sheet 
of the material may be secured to a rigid backing with a layer of 
cushioning, whether preformed or foamed in-situ, and embossed. In a 
similar manner, it is possible to form other articles, such as a car seat, 
or a bedhead or other upholstered part for furniture. 
Examples of specific thermoplastic materials which can be employed as the 
substrate include, but are not limited to, the following: 
a moisture cure adhesive available from Bayer (UK) under the designation 
K.A.8358; 
a two-component adhesive available from Larim (Italy) under the designation 
Larithane B10; 
a one-component aliphatic adhesive available from Larim (Italy) under the 
designation Larithane A.L.251; 
a two-component aqueous adhesive available from Bayer (UK) under the 
designation Dispercoll K.A.8299, (which may also be used without a cross 
linking agent as a one-component system); 
a one hundred percent liquid resin cross linkable thermoplastic available 
from Texas Adhesives (1984) Limited (UK) under the designation UX2201; 
a one hundred percent solid low temperature hot melt cross linkable 
thermoplastic available from Latent Bondings Limited (UK) under the 
designation LCA2; 
the polyurethane systems as described in Examples 1 and 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 
4,393,116. 
All these materials, and many others, may be formed into films or sheets by 
methods such as casting, rolling, or extrusion, to form a continuous, 
discontinuous or interrupted substrate layer with or without the addition 
of suitable fillers, pigments or other colouring materials to produce a 
desired base colour for the fabric in accordance with the invention. 
Specifically, such materials can be extruded through a die head to form a 
continuous film of any width as determined by the size of the die head. 
Thus, the substrate may in this way comprise a sheet having a width of up 
to some 6 meters, a strip having a width of some 5 cm to 50 cm, or a 
ribbon having a width of 1 cm to 5 cm or even less. 
Such continuous films may be self supporting and wound, after cooling and 
setting, onto spools of appropriate size. The flock fibres may be applied 
either before the film is wound onto such spools, or subsequently when the 
films are unwound for use. 
It will be appreciated that the die head may afford a row of slots so that 
in a single operation several such strips or ribbons can be formed 
simultaneously alongside each other, and in particular, in such a case the 
extruded substrate material may be deposited onto a suitable carrier 
material. This carrier material may comprise, for example, a release paper 
from which the substrate can readily be removed for application to a 
fabric or other backing material when required for use. However, the 
carrier material may itself comprise a fabric or other backing material 
with which the thermoplastic substrate is permanently united. Thus, for 
example, the extruded strips or ribbons of the thermoplastic substrate can 
be applied to a woven or non-woven fabric which can be used in the 
manufacture of a wide range of products, such as articles of clothing, 
footware, or upholstery for commercial or domestic furniture or for 
vehicle seats and facings. 
Additionally, a discontinuous pattern can be produced by interrupting the 
flow of thermoplastic material through the die head periodically, for 
example by opening and closing a supply valve to the die head, or by 
blocking the die head by means of a suitable shutter. In this case, the 
material will be deposited onto a carrier and depending on the 
configuration of the die head and the rate of interruption of the flow, 
the substrate layer can be formed to a pattern of discrete areas 
comprising dots, or longitudinally extending dashes or stripes of constant 
or varying length, or transversely extending strips, or larger rectangular 
patches. 
By selectively shuttering different portions of the die head for example 
using a serrated plate, it is possible to form a pattern in which 
longitudinally extending areas are interconnected by transverse areas so 
that the substrate layer comprises a perforated, apertured, or openwork 
web having a grid, lattice or lace appearance for example. More complex 
patterns could be produced by a printing technique in which the 
thermoplastic material in its molten state is applied to a patterned 
roller and transferred thereby to the carrier. 
The flock fibres may be applied to the substrate, whether in the form of a 
continuous film or a patterned layer, by any suitable conventional 
technique, such as by an electrostatic method, or by using a transfer 
medium for example. The fibres may, however, most conveniently be applied 
shortly after the thermoplastic material leaves the die head, so that it 
is still tacky. Nevertheless, if desired, the fibres may be applied in a 
subsequent process. In this case, the thermoplastic substrate may be 
rendered tacky by the application of a suitable adhesive, or by warming to 
an appropriate temperature. The fibre may then be dropped or blown onto 
the tacky surface, and preferably lightly brushed or rolled to give 
sufficient adhesion. The same technique can be applied for applying the 
fibres to a thermoplastic substrate whilst it is still tacky after leaving 
the die head. These methods are also particularly suitable if the fibres 
are to be applied selectively in specific areas, rather than to the whole 
of the substrate layer. 
For example, by using a pre-formed screen or mask, fibres of one colour can 
be applied to selected areas of the substrate layer, and then by using a 
different screen or mask, fibres of a further colour can be applied to 
different areas, and by repeating these processes as many colours as 
required may be applied in different areas. In a similar manner, fibres of 
differing length and/or composition may be applied in different areas, 
whether or not of different colours. Likewise, by a screening process 
fibres of a uniform colour or composition can be applied in accordance 
with a predetermined pattern rather than to the whole of the substrate 
layer, an arrangement which may be particularly advantageous where the 
substrate layer comprises a continuous film. 
In all cases the flocked fabric produced can be embossed by the application 
of heat and pressure in selected areas to give a colour contrast pattern 
as explained in relation to FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings. 
A material in accordance with the invention to which a pattern can be 
applied by the application of heat and pressure in selected areas may thus 
comprise: 
(a) a thermoplastic substrate layer having a coating of fibres over all or 
selected areas thereof, 
(b) a carrier material which releasably supports a thermoplastic layer 
having a coating of fibres over all or selected areas thereof, 
(c) a carrier material having thereon at least over part of its area, a 
non-releasable thermoplastic substrate layer having a coating of fibres 
over all of selected areas thereof. 
The thermoplastic layer may be in the form of: 
(a) a continuous sheet, strip, ribbon etc. 
(b) an interrupted, apertured or openwork web, 
(c) discrete, separate areas of patches. 
The following examples illustrate the use of the invention more 
specifically. 
EXAMPLE A 
A label or decorative patch for application to, for example, an article of 
clothing, is produced by forming a flocked material as described above in 
relation to FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings. In this instance, the 
substrate material may be so chosen as to enable the label simultaneously 
to be embossed, to produce the required design, and attached to the 
article of clothing. A substrate material particularly suitable for this 
purpose is that referred to above as L.C.A.2, extruded into strip or sheet 
form. Flock fibres of an appropriate colour are attached to one face of 
the sheet in any suitable manner and blanks of the required size are cut 
therefrom. 
The blank, that is to say, the unembossed material, consisting of flock 
fibres and substrate, is placed as required on the article of clothing 
which is positioned on the lower plattern of a heated plattern press of 
the appropriate size. The upper plattern carries an embossing die carrying 
a pattern as appropriate to the label or patch to be formed. Preferably, 
the die includes a raised periphery which defines the perimeter of the 
finished label or patch. 
The dies are heated to a temperature which is typically in the region of 
140.degree. C. and the press is operated at a feed pressure of 
approximately 80 pounds per square inch for a period of approximately 20 
to 30 seconds. 
This operation embosses the label or patch to produce the required design 
thereon by softening the substrate material in regions contacted by the 
die so that the flock fibres are absorbed therein to produce the required 
colour contrast and thereby establish the pattern. 
At the same time, the softening of the substrate material where it is 
contacted by the die, is sufficient to cause the substrate to adhere to 
the fabric of the garment. After cooling, any excess of the flock fabric 
around the periphery of the formed label or patch can be torn away. 
EXAMPLE B 
A flocked material as described in relation to FIG. 1 of the accompanying 
drawings may be shaped, for example by vacuum forming, and the shaped 
material may be placed in a mould, as shown in FIG. 3. As illustrated, the 
mould 30 includes a shaped mould cavity 31 which receives the 
vacuum-formed sheet 32 of flocked material in accordance with the 
invention. The mould is closed by a top plate 33 formed with injection 
channels 34 through which suitable plastic foam material is introduced to 
fill the mould cavity. 
The material 32 may be embossed during the vacuum forming process by 
incorporating heated protruding elements within the forming mould in the 
positions required to produce the desired pattern. 
Alternatively, the embossing of the material 32 can be carried out in a 
subsequent operation, before, during, or after the foam moulding stage 
shown in FIG. 3. Thus, the vacuum-formed sheet 32 may be subjected to a 
separate, embossing operation in which the required pattern is applied to 
the formed sheet by means of suitable heated dies. Alternatively, the 
mould 30 may be designed to effect the required embossing, or after the 
foam-filled sheet has been removed from the mould 30, it can be embossed 
by means of suitable heated dies. 
EXAMPLE C 
A facing material for use in automotive seating may be formed by employing 
the flocked material described in Example A above, as a facing fabric 
which is applied to one surface of a suitable foamed plastics material. 
The other surface of the foamed plastics material may carry a suitable 
backing fabric. 
In practice, as shown in FIG. 4, a prepared sandwich consisting of the 
flocked material 20 in accordance with the invention, a foam sheet 21, and 
the backing fabric 22 is cut to the desired blank size and placed between 
the tools 25, 26 of an HF or RF welding machine, for example. The welding 
tools may consist of metal bars 28 set into a suitable base so that when 
the tools are closed together, and the heating circuits are energised, the 
sandwich material is embossed along the lines of the bars. In a typical 
case, the welding machine would be of about 25 KW capacity and the welding 
operation would require about 8 seconds heating followed by 6 seconds 
dwell. 
In this way, the sandwich material is permanently embossed so as to afford 
the required contour, while along the embossed lines, the flock coating is 
absorbed into the thermoplastic substrate to produce a colour contrast in 
accordance with the invention. 
In an exactly similar manner, such material can be formed with a fine 
pattern definition to give a stitched or quilted effect, and such material 
can be used for the production of the upper parts of slippers or similar 
footwear. 
It will be appreciated that material formed in this way, and as illustrated 
in FIG. 2, can also be used for other applications, and the reference to 
automotive seat facings and slippers is by way of example only. 
EXAMPLE D 
Multi-colour panels for use for any of the above purposes, can be formed by 
applying flock fibres of differing colours to the substrate in specific 
areas. For example, a layer of an appropriate substrate material can be 
cast onto a suitable release material such as PTFE coated fibreglass. 
Before the substrate substance dries, a appropriate mask is positioned 
above it and flock fibres of a first colour are applied to the unmasked 
area by any appropriate process. The mask is then removed and replaced by 
a second mask through which flock fibres of a second colour are applied to 
different areas of the substrate. Flock fibres of two or more different 
colours may be applied by using the appropriate number of masks. 
The flocked material used in this way can be embossed by any of the methods 
described above, in order to provide a contrasting pattern superimposed on 
the pattern defined by the areas of different coloured fibres. 
EXAMPLE E 
A fabric, particularly suitable for use, because of its porous of 
breathable nature, in the manufacture of seat cushions and the like, for 
example for vehicle seating, is made utilising a backing material of a 
porous nature, such as a coagulated polyurethane material. This material 
is coated on one side with a layer of one of the thermoplastic materials 
mentioned previously in an intermittent pattern so that its porous nature 
is not lost. Flock fibres of the desired colour, contrasting with the 
colour of the thermoplastic substrate layer, are applied uniformly over 
the substrate layer. The gaps between individual areas of the 
thermoplastic substrate material, which allow the fabric to breathe, may 
be small and uniformly distributed so that the finished fabric has a 
substantially uniform appearance, or they may define a visible pattern of, 
for example, narrow stripes. 
A pattern, for example simultating stitching, can be formed from the fabric 
by embossing using a heated die as shown in FIG. 4. 
A flock fabric of this kind may be used, before or after embossing, as a 
facing layer for a seat cushion made for example from a foamed plastics 
material. More particularly, one layer of such fabric, a layer of foamed 
plastics material and a backing layer (which may comprise a further layer 
of the same fabric as the facing layer or a different material) are formed 
into a sandwich as described above in Example B, and then embossed to give 
the desired shaping or contour whilst simultaneously developing the 
required colour contrast along the lines of embossing. 
Instead of using a preformed layer of foamed plastics material, the facing 
and backing layers may be joined together peripherily to form an envelope, 
and a quantity of a reaction mixture for producing a foamed plastics 
material may be introduced. The envelope may be confined between a pair of 
forming moulds while the foaming reaction proceeds, and such moulds may be 
shaped so as to emboss the facing layer with the required pattern under 
the pressure of the expanding material, the moulds being heated if 
necessary, although the heat of the reaction may be sufficient. 
Alternatively, such embossing of the facing layer may be performed in a 
separate operation subsequently by means of a heated die. 
EXAMPLE F 
A further, particularly advantageous use of the material in accordance with 
the invention arises from the elastic properties of the substrate 
materials. A pattern or master defining the shape of an article, such as a 
seat back, can be treated with a suitable release agent and then covered 
with a selected substrate material, for example by spraying such material 
in solution onto the pattern. Flock fibres can then be applied to the 
substrate material before it is completely dry. After drying the flocked 
substrate can be peeled off from the master, by virtue of its elastic 
properties. The shaped envelope thus produced can then be fitted over a 
pre-moulded cushion shaped in accordance with the pattern, or, whilst 
supported in a suitable mould, it can be filled with foaming plastics 
material, as illustrated in FIG. 3. 
Whilst this method is particularly applicable to the manufacture of 
articles, such as cushions, which have a foam filling, it will be 
appreciated that covers for other types of articles can be produced in a 
similar way, as well as shaped, hollow articles which do not require to be 
filled. For example, the upper part of a slipper could be formed in this 
way so as to be pre-shaped. 
In all of the above examples, the flocked material, in accordance with the 
invention, is specifically adapted to be embossed by the application of 
heat and pressure so as to produce a colour contrast in the embossed 
areas, by appropriate selection of the colour of the substrate and the 
colour of the flock fibres. 
Whilst the present invention is directed primarily to flocked materials 
which are specifically adapted for the formation of colour-contrast 
patterns, certain aspects of the methods disclosed in the preceding 
description may be applicable, inventively, without the establishment of a 
colour-contrast pattern. For example, in some cases the colours of the 
flock fibres need not be chosen to contrast with the colour of the 
substrate material. In particular, the methods disclosed in Example F may 
advantageously be applied even where the embossing operation is not 
required to provide a colour contrast. Likewise, the selective flocking 
method disclosed in Example D may be applied in cases where a colour 
contrast is not established, at least in all areas, during the embossing 
operation. 
The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the accompanying 
drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for 
performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining 
the disclosed result, may, separately or in any combination of such 
features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms 
thereof.