On a recent Thursday as I sat with the Fixer’s Collective at Proteus Gowanus in Brooklyn New York, I tried in vain to repair a broken zipper on a wallet. A zipper which had broken much too easily, in my opinion. As a repeatedly attempted to get those little teeth to interlock without success, I of course became increasingly frustrated and began to ruminate on the origins and evils of zippers.
They almost seem designed to break, don’t they? What’s wrong with the traditional buttons, hooks and loops, tried and true fastening methods which have worked for centuries? With absolutely no supporting evidence, just conjecture, I concluded that only industrialization could have made possible the invention and mass production of such an unreliable and infuriating device as the zipper.
“How’s it going, Theresa?” inquired one of my fellow fixers, and look of concern upon his face. “Ah!” I cried. “Zippers are a post-industrial menace!” And then thought it rather catchy, if I do say so myself. And so it, well…stuck!!
Written by Theresa B
