The first true zipper-like fastener was introduced in 1893 by Whitcomb L. Judson, but the modern zipper design was perfected in the 1910s by Gideon Sundback, with a key patent in 1913 and a widely recognized “separable fastener” patent in 1917.

Quick Scoop

  • 1851: Elias Howe patented an early “automatic, continuous clothing closure,” a primitive ancestor of the zipper.
  • 1893: Whitcomb L. Judson showed his “clasp locker” shoe fastener at the Chicago World’s Fair; this is often cited as the original zipper invention date.
  • 1913: Gideon Sundback patented the “Hookless Fastener No. 1,” introducing dense interlocking metal teeth and a slider, creating the modern zipper mechanism.
  • 1917: Sundback’s “separable fastener” patent locked in the modern zipper form still used today.
  • 1923: B.F. Goodrich used Sundback’s fastener on rubber boots and popularized the name “zipper,” inspired by the sound it makes.

So, what counts as “invented”?

  • If the question is “when was the zipper first invented?”, many historians point to Judson’s 1893 clasp locker as the answer.
  • If the question is “when was the modern zipper invented (the one in today’s clothes and bags)?”, then Sundback’s 1913–1917 designs are the key milestone.

In everyday usage, people often say the zipper was invented “around the early 1900s,” but in more precise timelines, 1893 is the early zipper date and 1913–1917 is the modern zipper era.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.