Trim manufacturer YKK is extending the lifespan of its products.
On Thursday, the Japanese company launched the Revived Renewal Series, a group of four products that allow zippers to be repaired easily. The series supports the fashion industry’s shift towards sustainability by enabling longer use and reuse of apparel.
The initiative includes the introduction of replacement pieces for Vislon zippers, YKK’s zipper product line made from injection-molded plastic materials, which are lighter than the company’s metal zippers of the same size. It is now possible to repair Vislon zippers by using a special tool to attach die-cast replacement teeth when pieces have come off the zipper tape.
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The Revived Renewal Series includes replacement sliders and replacement pullers for Racquet Coil zippers, making it possible to easily replace broken pieces without needing any special tools.
It also features Vislon with Revived Top Stop, a specially designed top stop that allows for easy removal and repair of the slider. The design of the top stop prevents the slider from unintentionally coming off during normal operation.
The product allows customers and repair shops to easily remove sliders from garments when needed. It can be removed by simply moving the slider in a zig-zag motion at the top stop.
YKK said the goal for these products is to “make repairs easier for each brand’s repair centers and significantly reduce repair time by making it possible to repair only the damaged element portion instead of conventional repairs that remove entire zippers from products and stitch new ones on.”
Terry Tsukumo, YKK Corporation’s VP of product strategy division, global sales headquarters, said the company plans to add to products to the series “while aggressively working to tackle environmental problems throughout entire supply chains in the apparel industry.”
“Large volumes of apparel products are thrown away each year, and the resulting environmental impact is becoming a major problem,” Tsukumo said. “With YKK’s revived renewal series, YKK aims to streamline zipper repair work performed at brands’ repair centers and specialist repairers while striving to help bring about a circular society by enabling everyone to keep wearing their favorite clothing items for longer.”
