How a Boot Caused the Zipper Revolution

Zippers are one of the most common features in fashion, with most people wearing one almost daily, whether in trousers or a jacket. But their history is fascinating not only because of the technological innovation they required but also because it was thanks to one new fashion article—a boot with a zipper—that it finally gained mainstream adoption.

The story of the zipper started in 1851, when inventor Elias Howe, who also invented the sewing machine, patented an early zipper-like device he called the “Automatic, Continuous Clothing Closure.” It was not until 1913 that Gideon Sundback, a Swedish-American engineer, significantly enhanced it and created a machine for mass production, which allowed this invention to be considered seriously for fashion.

Back then, Zippers were just called "slide fasteners" and were mostly created by Talon, the company where Gideon worked. But in 1923, the B.F. Goodrich Company created a new line of boots, the "zipper" boot, noting the satisfying “zip” sound when fastening them. Talon tried to push back and even advertised in the 1930s with the slogan “Call this Slide Fastener TALON," but the damage was done.

Talon remains in operation 100 years later, but lost its market leader position to a Japanese company named YKK that does over 6 billion dollars in zippers alone per year. Today, zippers are everywhere, but the humble Goodrich zipper boot first brought this innovation to our wardrobes, showing the power that one single breakthrough can have in the history of a product.

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