Mastodawn

David Cooper Nov 7

Behold the zipper’s first upgrade in over a century. YKK, the Japanese company that makes about half the world’s zippers, has created a zipper that removes the traditional fabric tape, creating a lighter, more flexible, lower-impact closure that sits flush with garments. It requires new machinery, but by trimming fibre and dye, it cuts waste at massive scale. Early adopters include The North Face. WIRED https://www.wired.com/story/the-zipper-is-getting-its-first-major-upgrade-in-100-years/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
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@adapalmer it's neat but looking at this video it seems the design moves the physical stress onto the garment material, plus it requires special equipment to sew it on. So, it seems more fashion focused than practical engineering advancement

https://youtu.be/5X8JffqYA-c

Barry Rowlingson Nov 7

@otterlove @adapalmer I had a zip break on my rucksack pocket, so I cut it out and stitched in a new one. Can I do that with one of these? Look like terrible repairability.

@otterlove @adapalmer

“We repeatedly conduct durability and strength tests by sewing AiryString and conventional zippers into various fabrics,” Nishizaki says. “In terms of usability, AiryString offers much smoother operability.”

... so "we check for X and Y! it's good at Z!".
the omission is rather glaring, if it isn't being misleadingly snipped.

Nina Kalinina Nov 7

@adapalmer that's cool and cursed at the same time; how many small companies (and DIYers) wouldn't be able to afford machines that can attach new zippers to the textile?

Ada Palmer Nov 7

@nina_kali_nina Agreed. My hope is it will be used by factories to make gear that doesn’t fall apart as easily, since zippers so often go first. DIY & small makers can stick with traditional zippers.

Geoff 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Nov 7

@adapalmer It's not really environmentally sound if you have to throw the garment out when the zip breaks though. They do specify that repair needs specialist equipment, rather than a sewing machine, which is generally quite available.
I can see applications in, say, airtight seals, but it's a backward step for everyday stuff.

@adapalmer will it make it possible to repair clothes still

Peter Brett Nov 7

@adapalmer I'm just going to add to the people with concerns about repairability.

Zippers are always the first thing to go on my clothing, and with traditional zippers I've nearly always been able to get repairs done (sometimes at a cost).

By the sounds of it, these won't be widely repairable at all. So, I'm not celebrating yet.

Mre. Dartigen [maker mode]Nov 9

@krans @adapalmer From a repairability perspective, I'd rather see more effort on why zips break so much and making more durable zippers.

(...granted, one major reason is 'manufacturer didn't want to pay extra for a good-quality zipper of appropriate size and strength for this application'. And another is 'manufacturer is using the wrong type of zip for this'. Sometimes also 'zip is too close to a stress point', but I see that more in footwear than clothing.)

With that being said, as a tool to create zips on custom tape, this is helpful. AFAIK, there is nobody making zips on non-synthetic tapes, and it's always a struggle to find one that's close enough or at least doesn't look weird with the garment colour. With one of these machines, I'm guessing it's possible to mount the zip teeth on pretty much any fabric - so offcuts or selvedge from a garment could be used as the tape on the zippers.

Draco Metallium Nov 7

@adapalmer

Wont it make it impossible to change a zipper?

Cassian [main]Nov 7

@adapalmer Oh man I don't feel great about this - it means I won't be able to replace a broken zip at home. :S

it looks replaceable to me. the teeth are attached to some cord, with a spacer in between? so attaching one is just wrapping a stitch around each spacer & thru the fabric; simple enough to do by hand. I can see that getting a machine to do that would be fussy (which is why they're talking custom machines)

The Waveform Conglomerate Nov 8

@adapalmer I can easily repair traditional zippers if they break. Repairing this sounds.. extremely aggravating.

And the overall savings *per piece of clothing* are.. minimal. In terms of a zipper, yes, but in terms of an ENTIRE outfit? Barely any difference.

And this is going to lead to more clothing being thrown away.

I can see this being, frankly, a net ecological *loss*.

Also if this is the *only* company making these zippers, you're going to be trapped in a specific ecosystem.

This sounds more like a shady tech company, than a maker of clothing components.

Ada Palmer Nov 8

@juniper This company already makes the majority of the global zipper supply. I believe the goal is to increase durability for things like luggage and windbreakers. From the samples I’ve seen, any of these garments can have a traditional zipper sewn in as a repair if needed. It saves the extra material for the repair stage only. Given millions of zippers annually, it’ll save many tons of plastic (since most zipper edges are plastic fabric) and reduce microplastics etc.

@adapalmer Is it, compared with current designs, more or less likely to catch the fabric in the zipper? If this question was asked here or in the Wired comments, I didn't see it.