The Probert Encyclopaedia of Costume

ZIP

The zip fastener is a fastening device used in clothing. It was invented in the USA by Whitcomb Judson in 1891 originally for doing up shoes. It has two sets of interlocking teeth, meshed by means of a slide that moves up and down. It did not become widely used in the clothing industry until the 1930s. During the late 1970s and early 1980s zips were employed as a decoration in clothing fashion, with extreme numbers of zips appearing all over trousers, jackets, shirts and blouses.
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