ABSTRACT
The zipper, according to John Berendt, is commonly considered one of the most brilliant of all American inventions. The brainchild of Chicagoan Whitcomb L. Judson in 1891, it had the unfortunate propensity for continually falling apart. Its immediate forerunner, the 'clasp locker', consisted of two chainlike rows of hooks and eyes that were fastened and unfastened with the aid of a sliding guide. The zipper worked by means of the ball of one scoop fitting snugly into the socket of the next so that when closed it formed a firm but flexible seam of interlocking scoops. The market for the 'slide fastener' began to expand in the early 1920's when B. F. Goodrich decided to use it in rubber boots. Despite recent inroads made by velcro, the zipper-on pants as well as a host of other garments has moved on to institutional status within the clothing industry.
