majormajor
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,713
- Location
- UK
What's your estimate of the earliest zipper on a leather jacket in the 1920s? Mr Himel says recently:
"I own and have pictures of multitudes of jackets manufactured pre 1930 using hookless zippers (later Talon). These early zips date these jackets to the 1920s and I have recorded at least one hundred jacket brands making motorcycle jackets and other leathers during this period." Ref - http://www.schottnyc.com/forum/posts/schott_history.htm
This source says late-20s: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=...onepage&q=1920s leather jacket zipper&f=false
So another major (excuse the non-pun) leather jacket collector says zippers definitely on leather jackets in 1920s. And you're happy with this fact, too, from what you've stated. All we have to do now is work out how early or late in the 1920s they emerge. Simple matter of fact. 1920s zippers, yes. Late-ish 20s, check.
Any takers?
The original and pretty nifty Zippers thread:
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?5809-Zippers&
Hi CW
PL's first comment in this thread re dates was in reply to my statement that I would not want a zip on an early 20's leather jacket. So was that an attempt to question the veracity of my statement? Probably - I don't see why else this issue has been brought up. As you say, the subject of dates for zippers is well documented. So I think we are almost going round in circles here.
By the late 20's, we know that zips were appearing on the market. The first source you mention takes the view that the jackets in question must be late 20's, based on the fact that "Hookless" became "Talon" in 1928. That does, however, assume that all stocks of "Hookless" brand immediately disappeared when the "Talon" brand was introduced. But we don't know that. The older zips (which were, after all, being mass-produced, and were not really being used widely) could well have remained in stock for a number of years - and could have been sold to garment manufacturers at a lower price than the new "Talon" versions. So to say: "hookless zipper equals 20's production" does not really work. Hookless branded zippers could well have been used in new garment production well after the introduction of the Talon brandname.
The second source you mention says zippers appeared in "jackets" in the late 20's, it also says they appeared in leather jackets in the early 30's.
So yes, we ALL agree that zips appeared in the late 20's, and became popular on leather jackets in the 30's, especially after 1935, when more manufacturers, such as Conmar, came to market.
But as I said originally, NOT in the early 20's
Last edited: