At Kowide Outdoors, our business is built on trust, and when it comes to zippers, we trust no one more than YKK.

Who Is YKK

Founded by Tadao Yoshida in Tokyo in 1934, YKK stands for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha (which roughly translates as Yoshida Company Limited). This Japanese company has become the leading manufacturer of zippers and has become synonymous with the industry standard for over 80 years. They produce roughly half of all the zippers made each year, which equates to about seven billion of them, or roughly 3 million kilometers worth of zippers every year.

A Brief History of the Zipper

Zippers, to use its now more common name, started as slide fasteners. The first related patent was secured in 1851 by the inventor Elias Howe Jr. as an “Automatic, Continuous Clothing Closure.” If the Howe name sounds familiar, it is because this gentleman is more notably known for his most famous invention, the sewing machine.

Enter Whitcomb L. Judson and the “Slide Fastener” or “Clasp Locker.” Judson is more commonly accredited with the invention of the zipper; Judson created a slide fastener composed of hooks and eyes in an effort to replace the tedious method of fastening boots, which back then used a strenuous system of buttons. It took Judson a few attempts, but he managed to get a revised version of his hook and eye clasp locker patented in 1893, just in time to debut his invention at the Chicago World’s Fair that same year.

However, these slide fasteners were tremendously unreliable and just did not get the attention they were destined for until another designer came along in 1913 and patented his own redesigned version as the “Hookless Fastener No.1”. Then in 1917, this Swedish immigrant and tinkerer, Gideon Sundback, obtained another patent for his new “Separable Fastener.” This fastener utilized rows of interlocking metal teeth, which were a more ergonomically feasible system than the hooks and eyes system. Importantly, Sundback also invented a machine that could produce these “Separable fasteners” in mass.

A Few Zipper Fun Facts:

• It was not until 1923 that the word “Zipper” first appeared when B.F. Goodrich Company coined the name due to the “zip” sound the fastener made as they launched a new boot using this fastener closure.

• April 29 has since Sundback’s 1913 patent for the Hookless Fastener, become known as National Zipper Day.

• YKK zippers were used in the spacesuits worn during the first human exploration of the moon in 1969.

So Why YKK?

The simple truth is dependable quality and reliability, delivery on time, and so much more.

Nothing is more frustrating for a customer than when a broken zipper renders an otherwise usable piece of equipment or garment unusable. The dependability of zippers has always been an issue, one of the reasons why it took so long (1851 to 1923, and the zipper industry is still working hard on improving reliability) for zippers to become mainstream. A slide fastener will not make a technical pack (or garment), but it will break it. A customer will ultimately blame the maker of the whole product, even if the zipper was the part that failed.

Kowide Outdoors understands this, and for us, consistent quality and reliability are a must. A typical 14-inch YKK nylon zipper will cost us about a certain amount. And while nowadays, there are hundreds of rival zipper manufacturers in China who end up a tiny bit cheaper (we are talking half to a dozen cents cheaper) or willing to produce custom novelty orders in a rush. Saving these few cents at the expense of assured dependability is just not a risk worth taking, nor is the cost difference enough, given the overall margins.

Not only we here at Kowide Outdoors but high-end apparel makers around the world are not willing to gamble on lower quality fasteners, and thus, we all turn to a single manufacturer for assured and dependable quality and reliable zippers: Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha (YKK).

Tadao Yoshida, the founder of YKK, had the vision and foresight to bring every stage of manufacturing a zipper in-house. At YKK, every process, from smelting brass, concocting polyester, spinning thread, weaving and color-dying cloth for its zipper tapes to molding its own scooped zipper teeth, is done in-house. This gives the company unparalleled control over quality, supply chain, and speed of production.

This foresight clearly proved itself during the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami of 2011 that devastated Japan. While many supply chains were deeply affected and delayed, YKK was able to keep its production running and continue to deliver on time.

In today’s manufacturing world, which is highly dependent on a “Just-in-Time” supply chain, a strategy in which supply chain partners move materials right before they are needed, even small delays can have cascading negative repercussions. We saw it again during COVID-19 when the textile industry suffered many long-lasting disruptions to their ability to deliver on time. YKK was able to stay in production and on time.

To recap the main factors why we at Kowide Outdoors choose and suggest YYK and to add a few more reasons:

• Quality and Dependability: YKK's superb reputation is built on the ability to continuously deliver the highest quality zippers with the least number of defects, which are zippers that we can trust to work and keep working.

• On-Time Delivery: YKK, with fabricating everything in-house, is able to deliver on time, even when others in the industry are not able to.

• Durability: YKK zippers can maintain their appearance and functionality for decades. 

• Self-lubricating: YKK zippers become smoother the more they are used. 

• Water-repellent: YKK zippers are treated to shed water and repel it from seeping through. 

• Wide range of options: YKK zippers are available in many colors, materials, and styles. 

• Sustainable: YKK offers sustainable zippers made from recycled materials, organic cotton, and TENCEL™ fibers. 

This is Why We Choose YKK

At Kowide Outdoors we will use the materials, fabrics, and trims that our clients specify. However, when asked for recommendations, when it comes to zippers, we always suggest using YKK slide fasteners.

As a world-leading bespoke backpack and apparel manufacturer, our reputation and ability to exceed our client’s expectations are of utmost importance. To help our clients achieve success, we have built our reputation on trust. Because of this, we work only with the best suppliers available, ones we can trust in turn.

When it comes to zippers, there is no one that we trust more than Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha (YKK). Their zippers present industry-leading quality, durability, and reliability.