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The fully separable zipper was invented in 1927 by Gideon Sundback. It’s covered by patents 1813433 and 1813432.
While the modern zipper was invented in 1913, its practical applications were somewhat limited due to an attached, non separable end. It worked on coverall suits and on full flight suits, which zipped to the waist. It worked on "zipper" boots, pants and luggage. But without a mechanism for detaching the ends of the zipper, a 1/2 or 3/4 length zipper and a pullover style was the best that could be done for jackets.
Schott claims to have brought the first zipper to a jacket in 1925, but with a jacket-style zipper not yet invented for another two years, I would love to see if they mean a pullover or a pocket zipper. That is, of course, assuming that it's not just all marketing hype.
The patents for the separable bottom, with an early variant on the modern stopbox and prong, was applied for in 1927. Whether it took a bit of time to perfect the design, or to re-work equipment to build the new component, or for jacket companies to get on board, the new design was not really seen on jackets until 1930. Ads from 1930 hail it as a new feature, and are impossible to locate from the late 1920s, so it is likely (though not certain) that the separable bottom didn't make it to mainstream manufacturers until 1930.
1925. Typical 1920s style. Button front, marketed as a windbreaker, specifically for the sporting set. Suede was extremely common in this era. The knit collar and cuffs of this "A-1" style jacket were the default jacket style from about 1924 through to the early 1930s.
1929. Before the modern separable bottom to the zipper, this pullover style was the workaround. Also notice the zippers on the child's pants, which go from the hip to the knee, and the ankle to the knee, but do not meet. Zipper fronted pullover shirts were also starting to come on the scene around this time.
1930. Early zipper front style, shown next to a button front style. Styles are similar to the A-1 and the A-2.
While the modern zipper was invented in 1913, its practical applications were somewhat limited due to an attached, non separable end. It worked on coverall suits and on full flight suits, which zipped to the waist. It worked on "zipper" boots, pants and luggage. But without a mechanism for detaching the ends of the zipper, a 1/2 or 3/4 length zipper and a pullover style was the best that could be done for jackets.
Schott claims to have brought the first zipper to a jacket in 1925, but with a jacket-style zipper not yet invented for another two years, I would love to see if they mean a pullover or a pocket zipper. That is, of course, assuming that it's not just all marketing hype.
The patents for the separable bottom, with an early variant on the modern stopbox and prong, was applied for in 1927. Whether it took a bit of time to perfect the design, or to re-work equipment to build the new component, or for jacket companies to get on board, the new design was not really seen on jackets until 1930. Ads from 1930 hail it as a new feature, and are impossible to locate from the late 1920s, so it is likely (though not certain) that the separable bottom didn't make it to mainstream manufacturers until 1930.
1925. Typical 1920s style. Button front, marketed as a windbreaker, specifically for the sporting set. Suede was extremely common in this era. The knit collar and cuffs of this "A-1" style jacket were the default jacket style from about 1924 through to the early 1930s.
1929. Before the modern separable bottom to the zipper, this pullover style was the workaround. Also notice the zippers on the child's pants, which go from the hip to the knee, and the ankle to the knee, but do not meet. Zipper fronted pullover shirts were also starting to come on the scene around this time.
1930. Early zipper front style, shown next to a button front style. Styles are similar to the A-1 and the A-2.
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