Zippers are the little widgets that keep things close, from bags to apparel. They thrive in situations where you need an item or fabric to stay closed without bothering about buttons. Zippers generally save more time, hence its popularity in a broad range of industries globally.
However, it’s easy to underestimate zippers since they are a tiny component on a more significant piece of item. Also, you might not think much about a part that “just works” – at least, until it doesn’t. The article below highlights some of the more unknown facts about zippers.
- Zippers are a lucrative Business
Ever wondered, “How much does a fermeture éclair cost?” Not much in themselves, but big business as an industry. According to reports, zippers are worth $4.2 billion globally, and the prediction is optimistic for subsequent years. The item’s market is $15 billion strong as of 2020, with numbers projected to reach over $19 billion in the next seven years.
The major players in the zipper industry are the USA, Canada, and China. Other countries such as Japan, the UK, Argentina, and a significant part of Latin America.
- Zippers are Fairly Recent
While you may think zippers have been around since forever, they only came to be at the turn of the 20th century. Gideon Sundback invented the fermeture éclair in 1913. However, there have been previous similar works. Before 1913, rudimentary zippers didn’t work until Sundback came along.
- One Company Manufactures 90% of the World’s Zippers.
If you check on the pull of your zippers, you’re most likely to find the words “YKK” on them. YKK is a Company that currently manufactures nine out of every ten zippers in the world. The Japanese Company came into prominence after Talon Zipper Company – the world’s largest zipper maker in the 80’s – saw a decline.
YKK was shipping over 7 billion zippers a year as of 2003, and the number has grown over the subsequent decades.
- Zippers have only one Competition.
Ever since people decided to find a convenient replacement for buttons, zippers never had much Competition in the industry. However, in 1948, Velcro came around. The name comes from the words “vel” in velvet and “cro” in crochet. It served as a formidable alternative for zippers.
Even with the Competition, zippers still reign supreme globally, and Velcro can gain a significant part of the market without affecting zipper’s sales.
- Zippers are potentially very dangerous.
It might come as a surprise, but zippers are a lot more harmful than they let on. For context, as much as 1700 men get a visit to the ER due to zipper-related accidents. These numbers don’t take into account other specific, unreported cases of injuries at the nether regions.
Due to its mechanism, zippers can get caught in things in their paths; clothing, threads, and, in some other painful cases, flesh.
Conclusion
Zippers are a practical and functional piece of clothing component, which offers a bit more convenience than buttons could manage. The facts, as mentioned above, can be interesting to know, as zippers are generally unassuming and would quietly hold things in place, as they should.
