riri mayer

The history of the zip fastener

The zip fastener is not the brainchild of a single, brilliant inventor ? rather, it is the product of a long development process, spanning several decades.

1881

Elias Howe, USA, registered the first patent regarding a closure device consisting of two reinforcements that were sewn onto the borders of each of two items of clothing that were to be joined to one another. Small metal clasps enclosed the bunched up fabric and could be longitudinally displaced. For their part, the clasps were attached to a small strip of wool with a separation of two fingers between the clasps. If the clasps were separated by pulling on the woollen strip, the article of clothing would be closed. If the clasps were then pushed together, the garment would open. This idea may be considered the first attempt to realize a functioning zip fastener.
1890

The spiral zip which we are all familiar with was invented as early as 1890 by Max Wolff, Moscow. However, due to the lack of adequate materials, these zips only become prevalent in the 1950s, after nylon spirals began to be used instead of steel or metal spirals.
1893

Whitcomb Judson, New York, presented his clasp locker, which is considered to be the ‘first zip fastener’. However, since these zips had a tendency to come undone and due to the fact that they were almost as expensive as the articles of clothing they were supposed to close, their sales were extremely poor.
1908

The Swede Gideon Sundback brought his first zip fastener onto the American market under the name of ‘Plako Model’. Likewise, this product was also unsuccessful – potential clients had not forgotten the experiences of earlier closure mechanisms.
1911

A turning-point in the development of the zip fastener might have taken place after the patent registered in 1911 in Switzerland by Ms. Catharina Kuhn-Moos and Mr. Henri Forster. This is when the classic zip fastener was born. Not only because most of the zip components expounded in the patent are for the most part still in use today, but even the slider displays the basic form that is used today, albeit with certain refinements.
Neither its inventor nor those who expressed an interest in the patent recognized the true value of this invention. Since no offer was made to acquire a licence or to buy the patent itself, it expired after a few years.
1912

The next pioneering development came once again from Sundback. Whether and to what extent the Kuhn-Moossche Patent influenced this patent cannot be ascertained. At the heart of the improvement lay the substitution of teeth stamped from a metal band for the wieldy Kuhn-Moos zip – today’s classic metallic zips are produced according to this method.
1924

exactly 100 years ago: The inventor Dr. Martin O. Winterhalter from St. Gallen was the first person who managed to create a good zip fastener without violating Sundback’s patent. His Rinne-Rippe (groove-rib) Patent spurred the launch of his companies in Germany and various other European countries under the name ri-ri.
His pioneering work was significant because he was the first person to design zip fasteners that could be mass-produced. He also developed and built the machines required to fabricate them.
1929

One of the most important innovations in the zip sector was the invention of the pressure moulding method allowing the production of injection-moulded chains of plastic and metal. Credit for the invention of this method goes to the riri production plants.
1936

Following political developments in Germany, Winterhalter returns to Switzerland and founds the riri company in Mendrisio.
1945

Following the Second World War, rationalisation becomes the catchphrase of the day. Increasingly, metal zippers are being produced using the DaB (Draht auf Band) (wire on band) technique. In one single procedure the staples are punched out of a wire and simultaneously pressed onto the material band. DaB-closings mostly have raw surface material.
The zippers in our riri-Metall-RV range are still produced using the traditional and time-consuming method. Before the staples are pressed onto the band, the upper surface area is polished and sealed galvanically (elegant optic; no raw edges, excelle sureface)
around 1950

Zippers in plastic materials become increasingly important. Both pricing and durability means these are becoming first choice for multiple applications.
around 1980

Cotton bands are increasingly being replaced by synthetic ones.
1990

For ecological and health reasons, nickel is being replaced by alternative materials. There is a demand for constant new development primarily in optical appearance in order to keep up with the needs of the fashion industry. Well- formed pullers, various metal finishes or special bands are becoming increasingly important. Concealed zippers are very much a highlight in women`s fashion.
2000

Through the development of splash-propf zippers (and other HighTech materials) outdoor clothing undergoes a revolution. Instead of the complex overlapping or waterproof-coated zippers being visibly sewn in, glued welded on, riri develops the AquaZip on the basis of a plastic-toothed zipper. All the disadvantages of the splash-proof Spiral Zipper disappear in one go. Further optical or technical improvements arrive on the market from various manufacturers.
Bereits 2013 führt riri die ersten Reissverschluss-Bänder aus recyceltem Polyester ein. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt können Kunden, welche Reissverschlüsse produzieren lassen, recycelte Bänder als Option wählen.
2020

Vielseitig, praktisch und jetzt auch grün! Die Spiralreissverschlüsse (Flex / Nylon) mit Kette aus Polyester-Monofilament, sind jetzt in einer neuen Version mit Band und Kette aus 100 % recycelten Materialien erhältlich.
2021

Nachhaltigkeit wird auch in der Textil-Industrie immer wichtiger. Riri lanciert diverse Produkte, welche diese Bedürfnisse abdecken. Unter anderem sind GOTS-zertifizierte Bänder, welche zu mindestens 70% aus biologischer Baumwolle hergestellt werden, lieferbar.
2021

Als erstes produzierendes Unternehmen der Modeaccessoires-Branche verwendet riri recyceltes Polyester standardmässig für das Reissverschluss-Band-Sortiment (nicht mehr nur auf ausdrücklichen Kundenwunsch).