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History of the Zipper Timeline

(1851–Present)

The history of the zipper traces the evolution of interlocking fasteners from experimental nineteenth-century designs to a reliable, everyday technology used in clothing, luggage, footwear, and industrial products. Less

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Early inventions and patents

Elias Howe patents garment fastening

1851

Elias Howe received a patent for an “Improvement in Fastenings for Garments,” an early fastening concept that preceded the modern zipper.

Image source: Elias Howe

Elias Howe patents garment fastening

Whitcomb Judson patents the original design

1892

Whitcomb L. Judson, an American inventor from Chicago, patented the original design from which the modern zipper evolved.

Judson patents a shoe-fastening

1893

Forty-two years after Elias Howe’s patent, Whitcomb L. Judson patented a “Shoe-Fastening,” advancing his work on a practical alternative to buttons and laces.

Clasp-locker debuts at the Chicago World’s Fair

1893

Judson’s clasp-locker had its public debut at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, where it met with little commercial success.

Image source: World's Columbian Exposition

Clasp-locker debuts at the Chicago World’s Fair

The clasp-locker receives minimal attention

1893

Although Judson exhibited the clasp-locker at the World’s Fair in Chicago, the invention received minimal public attention.

Judson patents the clasp-locker

Aug 29, 1893

Judson secured a second patent through his “clasp-locker” design on August 29, 1893.

Sundbäck registers a German patent

1909

After working to improve the fastener, Sundbäck registered a patent in Germany in 1909.

The separable fastener patent is issued

1917

The patent for the “Separable Fastener” was issued in 1917, establishing an important patent milestone in zipper development.

Image source: Zipper

The separable fastener patent is issued

Commercial development

Universal Fastener moves to Hoboken

1901

The Universal Fastener Company moved to Hoboken, New Jersey, and reorganized as the Fastener Manufacturing and Machine Company.

Gideon Sundbäck joins the company

1906

Gideon Sundbäck, a Swedish-American electrical engineer, was hired to work for the fastener company in 1906.

The company moves to Meadville

1910

The company moved to Meadville, Pennsylvania, where it operated for most of the twentieth century under the name Talon, Inc.

Sundbäck redesigns the fastener

1913

Sundbäck redesigned Judson’s fastener to create a more durable design, and the zipper first went on sale in 1913.

The new hookless fastener appears in Australia

1916

Newspapers in Australia reported displays of the “new hookless fastener,” an American device promoted as something “the world has been waiting for,” shown by a live model in Raynor’s of Melbourne store window.

The term zipper becomes popular

1923

The popular North American term “zipper,” alongside the British term “zip” or “zip-fastener,” came from the B. F. Goodrich Company in 1923.

Zippers enter clothing production

1925

Zippers began being used for clothing in 1925 when Schott NYC incorporated them into leather jackets.

Zipper defeats the button in the Battle of the Fly

1937

The zipper beat the button in 1937 in the “Battle of the Fly,” after French fashion designers praised zippers for use in men’s trousers.

Global manufacturing

Winterhalter improves the zipper design

1923

Martin Othmar Winterhalter improved the design by using ribs and grooves instead of Sundbäck’s joints and jaws, then began large-scale production through his company Riri, first in Germany and later in Switzerland.

Sundbäck sells European rights to Winterhalter

1923

During a trip to Europe, Sundbäck sold his European rights to Martin Othmar Winterhalter.

Cremalleras Rubi is established

1926

The Cremalleras Rubi company was established in Spain in 1926, adding a European manufacturer to the growing zipper industry.

Yoshida establishes San-es Shokai

Jan 1934

Tadao Yoshida founded San-es Shokai in Tokyo, Japan, in January 1934 as a zipper processing and selling company.

Yoshida constructs his first industrial facility

1938

During 1938, Tadao Yoshida constructed his first industrial facility in Tokyo.

Tokyo air raids destroy Yoshida’s plant

Mar 1945

The Great Tokyo Air Raids burned down the plant in March 1945, prompting Yoshida to reconstruct operations in Uozu, where he, his family, and staff had fled for safety.

YKK develops the 56S aluminum alloy

1958

YKK pioneered development of the 56S aluminum alloy in 1958, even though specialist Japanese manufacturers had failed to achieve it.

YKK creates the CM3 machine

1959

YKK began developing factory-made machinery independently and created the CM3 machine in 1959, incorporating punching and alternating fixing features.

YKK develops the CM6

1964

After 1964, YKK developed the CM6, which became a world leader in mass-production quality capability.

YKK becomes an industry giant

1980

Forbes reported that Japanese manufacturer YKK grew to become the industry giant by the 1980s, after the zipper market in the 1960s had been dominated by Talon Zipper in the United States and Optilon in Germany.

China reaches 80 percent of the international market

2005

The Guardian reported in 2005 that China held 80 percent of the international zipper market.

Cremalleras Rubi sells over 30 million zippers

2012

Cremalleras Rubi sold more than 30 million zippers in 2012, reflecting the scale of the established zipper industry.

Modern innovations

William T. Freeman invents a zipper design

1985

A zipper design was invented in 1985 by William T. Freeman, establishing the basis for a later demonstration of digitally manufactured zipper structures.

Petroski publishes zipper history research

1992

Henry Petroski published a 1992 work cited in accounts of zipper history and technological development.

Image source: Henry Petroski

Petroski publishes zipper history research

Friedel publishes zipper history research

1996

Robert Friedel published a 1996 work cited in accounts of the history and development of the zipper.

MIT revisits Freeman’s 3D-printable design

2025

Forty years after William T. Freeman’s invention, a team from the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory revisited it and showed that the design was easily 3D-printable.

YKK announces a tapeless zipper

2025

YKK announced in 2025 that it had developed a tapeless zipper whose teeth structure attaches directly to garment fabric. The company claimed the design was more flexible and more environmentally friendly because it used fewer materials.

Key Facts

  1. In 1851, Elias Howe Jr. patented an early automatic, continuous-clothing closure, although he did not develop it into a practical commercial product.
  2. Whitcomb L. Judson patented a clasp locker in 1893 and displayed it at the 1893 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition.
  3. Gideon Sundback substantially improved the design between 1913 and 1917 by creating interlocking metal teeth and a dependable slider system.
  4. The B. F. Goodrich Company popularized the term “zipper” in 1923 after using Sundback's fastener on rubber boots.
  5. Zippers became widely adopted in clothing during the 1930s and 1940s and are now produced in metal, plastic, and coil forms for many applications.

Source

This History of the Zipper timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

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