The zipper is getting its first major upgrade in 100 years
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Re: The zipper is getting its first major upgrade in 100 years
#2[deleted]
Re: The zipper is getting its first major upgrade in 100 years
#3The excellent Avery Trufelman (formerly of 99% Invisible) has been running Articles of Interest (https://www.articlesofinterest.co> and https://articlesofinterest.substack.com>), a surprisingly interesting podcast about clothing and and culture and so much more. The Ivy League episodes are a great example of what they're about.
Over the summer, they had an episode about the zipper—https://articlesofinterest.substack.com/p/new-episode-zipper...> and https://www.articlesofinterest.co/podcast/episode/2b1f2292/z...>—which is well worth a listen.
Re: The zipper is getting its first major upgrade in 100 years
#4After reading the article I have no idea what is different in the new version.
Re: The zipper is getting its first major upgrade in 100 years
#5After reading the article I have no idea what is different in the new version.
> Their new AiryString zipper looks ordinary at first glance. Then you realize what’s missing: there’s no tape. That absence transforms everything. Without the woven fabric that normally flanks the teeth, the AiryString is lighter, sleeker, and far more flexible.
Re: The zipper is getting its first major upgrade in 100 years
#6After reading the article I have no idea what is different in the new version.
Apparently no tape, the zipper is bare, so special sewing machines are required and you plebs cannot just repair your clothes affordably (or yourself) anymore.
Re: The zipper is getting its first major upgrade in 100 years
#7Link to what the upgrade looks like https://ykkdigitalshowroom.com/en/item/143/
Re: The zipper is getting its first major upgrade in 100 years
#8After reading the article I have no idea what is different in the new version.
Then you didn’t read the article. It’s spelled out pretty explicitly.
Re: The zipper is getting its first major upgrade in 100 years
#9After reading the article I have no idea what is different in the new version.
What I can't figure out is how the new version attached to the fabric. That's at the core of this right? Metal-fabric interface.
Re: The zipper is getting its first major upgrade in 100 years
#10So, uh, how is it attached to the garment? They talk about specialized sewing equipment, so it’s not bonded (although for polymer-based outerwear solvent bonding seems like the ultimate end-point)… but there’s no thru-holes or other obvious attachment points. Something boring but hidden (hole from the side to the bottom), or something more interesting?