Vintage Zippers

Zippers are important to recognise the age of garments, each item conceals a story you should be ready to listen to and identify

There are several signs that will help you recognize the garment in your hands: wear, material, label, pattern, and zippers ( and/or buttons). Each signal needs to be understood and interpreted; the only way to do so is to recognize it before contextualizing the garment. This guide covers only some of the vintage zippers used in the 1990s; over time, many other types will be added to this article. Hold it fast!

Conmatic Zippers

This type of zipper was produced by the Conmar products group, an American company whose name was registered in 1934. It was one of the biggest manufacturer of zippers, often used for military clothing.

Introduced in 1950 and then discontinued in 1964, it was used for both civilian and military jackets; in this case it is on a hooded Canadian woolen jacket.

Talon Zippers

Another American giant in the production of zippers is the Talon Zipper Company founded in 1893. It peaked in 1960, when these zippers were cited in the New York Times as the most widely used, 7 out of 10.

The slider is the protagonist in this talon, in fact this particular type of slider was produced from the 1930s until the mid-1940s, in this case it is on a handmade woolen sweater.

Similarly, in this Talon it isn’t the pull that affects but the lower catch, that is, the lowest part of the zipper. In this lumberjack jacket on which the zipper is secured, the catch has two side lines. This particular production began in the 1940s through the 1990s. Although, the most significant detail is provided by the slider design, which dates back to the 1960s.

YKK Zippers

YKK is an acronym for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushiki gaisha; founded in Japan in 1934, it is one of the largest firms in the industry.

The aluminum pull has been produced from the 1980s to the present. By itself, this is not a definite clue unless combined with all the other elements that lead us to think that this lumberjack jacket dates back to the 1990s.

Scovill Zippers

Scovill Manufacturing Company is a zipper company founded in 1850 in Connecticut. In 1960 it took a large share of the zipper market contrarily to what large companies such as Conmac predicted.

Scovill zippers are famous for being fitted to military clothing such as field jackets.

In fact this hinge,produced in the 1970s and 1980s, is placed on an m-65.