Zippers! Of all things, zippers! If it's not a semiconductor video, I can never guess what Asianometry is gonna cover instead. You're all over the place, and yet somehow still bring the same level of research to all of them even if they're far out of your wheelhouse. It's amazing!
I think his family has backgrounds in semiconductor, but he works in the consulting industry, which exposes and requires you to know all sorts of things.
I have an interesting experience with YKK. When I was in high school I lived in a town with a YKK production facility. The company sponsored an international exchange program where they sent students from Kurobe, Japan to America for a week. My family was lucky enough to be able to host one of these students and it was a great experience all around and one I’ll never forget
As a resident of Georgia where YKK has their factory in the US I love that you put this together. I have known about YKK for a long time and tell people about them when talking about our local state's economy. YKK came to GA as part of the Carter administrations push to bring Japanese industry to our state. He was GA's first and only politician to become President of the United States and while many people did not like much of what his Administration did, his impact on the GA/JP manufacturing relationship can be felt even today with factories that were built during his administration still open today including YKK in Macon, GA, Yamaha in Newnan, GA, Kubato in Gainesville, GA, Makita in Flowery Branch, GA and many more older and newer companies like Yakult who is opening a new factory in Bartow County.
Loved your closing sentence. As a Westerner having lived to Taiwan for over 8 years, working on Product Development, I have really embraced the fact that every single human-made object is other than trifle. For every single component, object, there is a bigger or smaller story behind. Nothing is "simple" or "cheap" (even if the actual and perceived quality is not the best). Nothing is "automatically made". Mass production is a craft, and heavily a hands-on-hand-involved process, even if the final object is injected, extruded, assembled by a machine. I am looking forward to moving back to Taiwan/Asia soon, as I loved the Asian mentality of realism, pragmatism, humbleness in a fascinating combination with superstition of understanding that there is a % in manufacturing, in life that human cannot control.
This is interesting, toddy I was browsing some basic snorkeling equipment at a beach. It is by definition cheap and cheerful. It seems the folks who design it have never used it, of if they did, would have improved it. While a lot of effort may still have gone into making it look the part, how much more is needed to make it good?
@@tails4eI think he’s referring to the working class. They did their best with what they were given and can’t control a titewad owner with slim margins to make their shareholders happy, even if that means making less money and profit on their books. Shares matter. Not profit. Too many hands in the pot.
YKKs classic all-metal "scoop" style zippers are the only ones that have never failed before the garment or footwear for me. Sure, most modern plastic zippers work great for low utilization stuff, but for jeans, jackets and boots I actively look for YKK. Fun fact: The Danish army insist on them.
Big teeth ones never fail but medium size teeth metalic one do fail quite often because the cursor is not stiff enough to withstand the pulling force. I consider the medium size of bad quality as you can not find replacement cursor/slider from YKK and not from other companies in reverse configuration (used for water sealing configuration ofnthe tape or visual benefit). You will be forced tontrash your clothes because of that. Not a durable thing I now look for clothes without medium YKK for that reason.
As an outdoorsman, I always look for ykk zippers, ice shacks, float suits, and things I rely on and not just for fashion I always buy brands that have ykk, I had no idea this was a Japanese brand but now it explains allot. Cool video
I grew up with heavy duty camping and scuba gear. Zippers were the most vulnerable components and I always look for the ykk Logo when I buy something. If it has a ykk zipper I can generally count on everything else being first rate.
i'm a fashion designer who has been obsessively watching your videos, its hilarious to me that you're inevitably covering a topic I am already familiar with!
SuperDry zippers suck. You notice how trademarked products often suck? Paying for the logo. That said, I saw an early 1990s movie the other day and it was LOL how all the clothes were generic, no logos of any kind.
@@Runmeerkat I'm mocking. But I myself don't like being a walking billboard. However, these days my partner dresses me and she keeps abreast of the latest fads. Had me dressed up a while ago in a SuperDry jacket with scores of zippers layered on, all poorly made.
It's easy to underestimate basic items like zippers until you get a bad one then a quality ykk one. I've shopped 200$+ items based on ykk zippers. Even Jesse James promotes some of his goods as having ykk zippers. These fellas know their stuff. Thank you for providing context to their products. Always an amazing treat to hear you on a subject.
All my motorcycle gear has YKK zippers and it is something I actually look for when I buy gear. The quality, reliability, strength, and ability to stay closed even in the event of a accident is all the reason I need to ensure my gear has these zippers.
Same. The Danish army insist on them, so after 17 years in the service, and never having one fail on me, it rubbed off on me and it's one of the few areas where I'm actually brand loyal.
Even in Mainland China/Hong Kong where I live, aproduct with YKK zippers is taken of being higher quality than any other brand of zippers, even if that is the only redeeming point of the product in question. Also it is common for products in this region that have YKK zippers to bring a tag exactly showing that, with the YKK logo white over dark purple background.
You never appreciate good zippers until you buy something that has bad zippers. I think they are one of the small often overlooked but essential parts of human life now
Trivia you missed: East Sun Button Factory, Limited, a YKK Hong Kong subsidiary that produced metal buttons, primarily for jeans. Now defunct, it was located in the huge HK Spinners Industrial Building in Lai Chi Kok. Needing precision rivets better and cheaper than those produced by screw machines, I ventured forth as a young engineer to find precision stampers and discover them. They could do the job and many millions of rivets later, we developed a jig welding technique to eliminate them.
It's always a pleasure watch your videos. I follow this channel mostly because of semiconductor technology coverage, but even the videos about other subjects are great!
I’ve used YKK zippers for creating my own garments & they are the only ones I use. They are highly reliable & smooth. The high-end line, I think it’s called Excella, are beautiful zippers-slide smooth as silk and, of course, more fashion oriented. They are great for exposed applications. YKK zippers are so good, that I have even seen cheap fakes -that are inferior quality. For that reason, it is a good idea to only buy from a reliable, established seller. SIL Thread in NYC and Zipperstop are a couple. I made many garments and never had a YKK break or jam. That’s a testament to Yoshida. Thanks for this video.
Shocked they only have 40% of the global market. I very rarely see a non-YKK branded zipper on clothing, although I do tend towards more expensive clothing and I guess non-clothing applications exist.
some manufacture use SBS or other china/india ones that more cheaper, in indonesia most cheaper mass manufacture clothing use KCC brand, that I had experience and it equally bad I think. But if you go to local seamstress or some higher quality brand like you did, they tend prefer YKK over others, as they price to the performance is much more better and a better option rather sacrificing the quality on the final product. Some product manufacture in here (indonesia) proudly put YKK name/pointing out that they use YKK as a sign of quality. but if you seeing those nameless or the brand name/logo on the puller tag, there is a higher chance it is also YKK, as they actually do OEM zipper slider for some fashion brand, so they stamp the brand or make the slider totally withour any brand. if you look closely, they usually put their mark either behind the puller (usually at the very end and very small) or on the bottom plate of the slider. I know this, as one of jeans brand that I usually buy (Cardinal), is put the brand on the puller, but when I see on under of the puller & the bottom plate, it had YKK mark. But my friend do said YKK allow brand to make zipper without YKK mark, but at higher cost and higher amount of order, that's why most of brand here (as I know) still bearing YKK mark in the zipper somewhere in the slider/puller.
@@andersjjensen That's true, the rise of fast fashion trends, creates a lot of garbage products. Even to the point that clothes are so thin, it's like being naked.
I'm a hunter. I use my gear hard, thus I require exceptional quality from it. When it comes to coats, I own two English coats (handmade, one waxed and one tweed) and two German coats (one handmade of loden cloth, and one a simple police parka). And despite the UK having a quality zipper manufacturer, and Germany boasting two manufacturers (that are even as old as YKK), all the coats are fitted with YKK zippers. (the English ones with double zippers, in case you want to ride a horse) And despite a couple of these coats literally falling apart at the seams (and the manufacturer of the English one sent it back to me saying they will no longer repair it, and the lifetime warranty stops there), the zippers still hold up.
The best zippers. Can confirm. I am a fashion designer/historian and have worked (among other places) at New York City’s largest vintage clothing store (the now defunct Cheap Jack’s.) I have seen perhaps thousands of zippers. YKK are the best. Inferior zippers will immediately devalue any garment. In both form but especially function. Dope video. Just looked through my closet / archive and none of my YKK’s are broken, whilst others I’ve had to repair or just “decommission” and revert to safety pins. 1990s Nike, 1970s Spalding, Adidas, Columbia, LL Bean, Wrangler, some Korean company from the 80s: all YKK, all working. Champion branded C9 garments I own use inferior zippers, and if they break, and you’re screwed. (Champion/ C9 still makes excellent garments and I wear those too.) Looking once more, I have a pair of 1990s JNCOs, and a mysterious psychedelic 1970s brand of Farah slacks, some 1980s “golf pants” and some late 70s Levi’s with Talon. All working fine. Interesting to note, none of my Levi’s jeans from the past decade or so include anything but Levi’s branded zippers. Perhaps they make them in house at this point, I’m not sure. I have more pants to survey, but the above list is exhaustive enough.
I make leather goods and use YKK for most of my wares, but if I am using or making a premium product Riri makes the best zipper available IMO . Excellent video and very informative. Thank you.
My father was a machinist for a zipper factory in Hong Kong. The factory eventually closed down and this Japanese company who was later known to be YKK bought all the machines (or the whole factory, I do not remember exactly) and sent them to Japan. They also offered him to Japan but he declined. My father said YKK couldn't legally import new machines at the time so they had to go thru loophole like this. I am not sure where this would fit in the timeline but just want to share. I might ask him next time of the exact year.
YKK is often noted in motorcycle gear product descriptions as a mark of quality. Like the description will tell you a bunch of stuff like abrasion resistance and impact ratings, and throw in “YKK zippers” to let you know it’s the good stuff. It’s always stood out as slightly odd to me that zippers have their own branding. Pretty cool stuff.
I was lured here to watch zipper history by the quality of all your other videos. You zipped the story together quite well. Long may the Zipper King reign.
I love the path you’ve chosen concerning your content. Your very talented and I feel blessed and lucky to have you as a content creator. I honestly believe you could do anything and I think this is a fine and noble use of your time. I mean I love learning from your videos. I don’t know anyone who could do it better than you. 👍👍👍 I tip my hat to you sir There is so much trash content out there I think your a gift to this world man definitely a positive impact and legacy your leaving. I also really admire your research skills it’s remarkable.
From Silicon Photonics, High-NA EUV to Soviet computer industry, Chinese control of rare earths and now zippers… You’re interests are 100% EPIC and I love them all!!! 😂❤
Now we just need a Soviet smart zipper made of rare earth metals. "Uranium zipper is sure to make your bits tingle, comrade. Such is the zest of life."
I remember when zippers first came into market when I was an elementary school kid in Taiwan…. and your zipper would just burst open for no reason, until YKK came into the scene. Only then did zippers finally replaced buttons and were widely accepted as part of our uniforms. Ya…. And watch out for your foreskin.
Excellent video as usual.... As a Brazilian, a country that houses millions of Japanese, these Japanese products were always popular in the country. As a child, I always wanted to know what YKK meant in Japanese.... May God bless you always ! Thanks for the excellent video ! Could you please make a video about the Japanese immigration to Brazil ? I always wanted to learn about why they left Japan....
What a fantastic video! Zippers have always interested me. The challenges in making a zipper are many fold and the fact that companies get it right is astonishing.
Yesterday I saw history of zipper in yt short today in detail video by asianometry I really like your video i watch when ever i got time because it is interesting and informative. I really appreciate your work.❤❤ Love from Nepal
Here in the Philippines, a little over a decade ago, YKK actually made a jingle that was always playing on the radio. It was basically an acapella quartet singing YKK zipper's praises, and it was a hell of an earworm. I dunno why YKK thought they needed a jingle, but 10+ years later I instaclicked the second I saw YKK on the thumbnail of your (very well-made) video. So... well played, YKK Philippines(?) I just found the jingle on TH-cam! Just search for YKK Philippines Jingle if anyone's interested.
I Lived in New York in the 1970's, around late 1973 or early 1974 at the local commuter train stop in our town, a town comprised of mid and upper level management working New York City was a large advertisement for YKK. A very strange ad in a town that had no factories just small consumer shops, not even a mall. I could only think that there was someone who worked in fashion who was being targeted by YKK. Very strange. Town was Woodmere NY.
Dear Asianometry, Thank you for another well made and researched piece. The story of TALON is a wonderful example, not of product design or engineering prowess, but instead an all too typical story that emerges from America, and that is that a perfectly good product or business is shuffled into the ground because shareholder profit and future sale value are the the primary drivers, not support of the business itself. I am unsure of this, but I have a feeling this was originally a peculiar American socioeconomic phenomena, but I believe I see the Chinese adopting this concept now as well. Regarding the zippers themselves, I have seen both the Raccagni and RiRi Zippers here in the states, they are "Amazingly" well made. The plastic YKK's are OK, but because they are plastic their lifespans are not very long. My father had some American Made 100% Heavy Cotton overalls he worked in for years, they had TALON zippers, they were well designed, well made, almost indestructible, they would outlast the material of the garment, but they were not fashionable, though and internet search shows that they currently supply zippers to Brooks Brothers, Uniqlo, Levi’s, BCBG, and Abercrombie & Fitch.
Good video - the rise of YKK and it's dominance in that market is pretty well known, but it was nice to see Asianometry do its version of the story. The rise of a Chinese competitor is noteworthy, not too surprising. But... YKK has always been manically focused on zippers. The fact that it's been able to stay dominant despite the move of a lot of textile manufacturing to China is impressive. Zippers are one of those things that contribute relatively little to the overall cost of a product, but it is essential that they work. So, for many manufacturers, it's worth spending a bit more to ensure they are trouble free. It's the same with those companies that make a small but essential piece of, say, a car or an aircraft or a missile. It's worth the OEM spending a bit more for that component. Manufacturers of such small-but-essential components are often some of the most profitable companies. It's reasonable to expect textile manufacturing to be ever less China-centric - China is no longer the super-low-cost manufacturing center and textile manufacturing tends to move to places with the lowest labor rates. So YKK and SBS ought to be on a fairly level playing field as that happens.
Love these profiles on Japanese firms that became world champions. Could you do one on Matsushita? From National to Panasonic, owners of brands like Technics and AKAI, acquired the bankrupt Sanyo and becoming an early investor in Tesla.
YKK zippers are of excellent quality. I am always heartbroken when I find a nice piece of clothing with a suspect, non-YKK zipper. From hard-won experience, the competing zippers just aren't up to snuff and fail all too often. Thanks for the video. You have saved me from doing this research myself ❤
I lived in Germany for a while next to a YKK factory. I knew that they made zippers but not that it had a Japanese background. I am an admirer of Japanese culture. So I thank you for this video with this diverse information.
12:53 I worked at YKK when I first got married! I ran the dryer process that ran after the material got dyed. I was a 21-something temp worker surrounded by these 50-70 year old ladies who worked circles around me lmao. It was an interesting place for sure.
This video was well-timed! I was just noticing the YKK zipper on my jacket yesterday and wondering about it briefly lol. This video was fascinating. Thank you! God be with you out there everybody. ✝️ :)
When you think of it, the zipper is an amazing invention in its simplicity, versatility, and when done right, durability. YKK is certainly a brilliant example of how to create a business from the ground up, stay relevant and profitable. Great documentary, Asianometry!
I didn't think I had worn any zippers without YKK on it. Which makes it ironic to look down while watching this video and see the American Eagle (Outfitters) initials on my zipper.. Which is probably still "secretly" YKK
Another well made video. If I may a feedback - Show numbers on screen. When you talk years, how many were sold and such, always write a number, like you sometimes do. Keep the image, there is space on back border like 2:40, but I had to rewind a few times to process that time span was 10 years and how many, then imagine time period. Maybe only minority viewers would appreciate this though. My marks were always lowest at history class as I struggle to remember names and dates.
I used to go into Levi's factories where they sewed together jeans. YKK had installed zipper making machines in these factories. They also provided the equipment to test these zippers.
I can't recall ever having a YKK zipper fail. The tolerances on the teeth must be surprisingly tight - they have to grip onto flexible fabric during assembly, and reliably mesh with their mates for thousands of zips and hundreds of washings. You would think they have alignment problems, yet they don't. Did you look into YKKs relationships with clothing makers? Would someone like Levis ever consider a different supplier?
When I was a kid, I noticed how much better quality YKK zippers were, but I had no idea what YKK was...which intrigued me all these decades until I saw this. Thanks!
I have always believed YKK was from Finland, probably a finnish guy who told me, but now I know the truth!!! Thanks Asianometry, and as always great content!
what made the "high-end" zippers high-end? it's hard to imagine how better you can make this thing. i mean sure i can imagine some low quality zippers that would easily come lose, but something even higher quality is hard to imagine if even the invisible zipper is considered middle
I manufacture leather goods and my choice for a premium zipper is Riri. They polish all the metal parts for exceptional smoothness and it is noticeable. YKK has a premium line as well where they do the same but I do not have experience with them as I am very pleased with Riri. Additionally they have a higher thread count fabric tape but tbh only manufactures would really notice this. The smooth operation is so good.
Congratulations on another great video! I really find the topic and your explanations very interesting. On a side note, I was watching the video, looked at the zipper on my trousers and there it was... YKK! :D
funny you made a video about YKK. Most cycling jerseys use YKK zippers and I recently bought a bunch of replacement zipper pulls to fix some broken zippers :)
I can hear traffic noise in your audio, I thought "why it got busy at midnight?". So I paused the video and "oh". Anyway, great video, I do some sewing and was an intern for a while at a designer bag maker, they use YKK or nothing, it's the best zipper on the market.
I am an American living in Japan, for more than 30 years. When I first drove to my wife’s house to meet her parents, there was a big YKK sign where I had to turn, some local factory owned by the company. I thought, this sign might be my destiny, that I will end up living here forever, and it’s been 30 years since then.
YKK #10 Zipper Rock Solid for Outdoors equipment; easy to zip even with cold bulky clothes but a big and heavy. YKK #5: Still solid, but lighter weight when you are moving light and fast I'm a bit out of date, maybe some new ones are out. But when you are traveling fast and light, or in the outdoors, this matters.
I learned about how special YKK zippers are when I was in China for the Canton Fair. I figured out that a lot of my clothes have YKK on the zipper, they're truly a large commodity in the fashion industry.
Very nice & interesting! As a nerd about processes, I loved how you took some time to spell out the intricacies of how they are made. BUT, you glossed over the change to & the how it's done, for plastic zippers ! 😞
Just seeing this video, I checked my pants zipper, and sure enough: YKK. I feel I'm not the only one to have done this check and got this result ^^. More seriously, YKK is definitely a logo I've seen in the past, but never paid attention to, thank you for the video.
Well the humble Zip is something I have often pondered before continuing as i would with my day. Periodically I noted different styles of Zip and it was often said that YKK is producer of the best Zips in the world , appearing on top of range garments for outdoors activities and Levi's Jeans. Those were the heavy duty brass element Zips and periodically appeared in our shoes, and footwear. So seeing YKK was the first sign of a top quality garment since they cost more than others with good reason. Always I have respected the Zip which nearly always is the brand used that closes up our overalls, for working in. Those numerous elements always amazed myself as how such a vast number always perfectly matched each other. Spaced so uniform and benefiting with a total closure seam and so on. It's refreshing to learn something more from the Zipper story thats a massive part of the world.
I sew YKK and Ideal brand of zippers into my gear. It’s hard to beat the buttery smoothness of YKK coil zipper. I only use the Ideal brand because they offer a #9 zipper as apposed to YKK’s #8 or #10 option. Thank you for the great information.
I remember seeing the Talon name on some sewing notions, but never knew of their zippers, or their connection to zippers (I am sure they do not like that name). YKK have always been my zipper of choice. Their metal zippers are top notch (no pun intended), they have the best plastic zippers I have seen, but plastic is just not sturdy enough for long time use. I had no idea YKK came from Japan, but it is not really surprising. 😎
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Zippers! Of all things, zippers! If it's not a semiconductor video, I can never guess what Asianometry is gonna cover instead. You're all over the place, and yet somehow still bring the same level of research to all of them even if they're far out of your wheelhouse. It's amazing!
He did manage to mention semiconductor for a few seconds though... sneaky....
@@okaydoubleu And in the context of geeky tourism... 🤣
I think his family has backgrounds in semiconductor, but he works in the consulting industry, which exposes and requires you to know all sorts of things.
zippers are fabric conductors
I know right… The most random stuff sometimes - but I’m like - yeah… I’ve always wondered about that!… lol
I have an interesting experience with YKK.
When I was in high school I lived in a town with a YKK production facility. The company sponsored an international exchange program where they sent students from Kurobe, Japan to America for a week. My family was lucky enough to be able to host one of these students and it was a great experience all around and one I’ll never forget
Dublin?
@@n1k0n_ nah kentucky
@@masonp5 Thank you for accepting my students.
Wow that's nice. :)
@@shinzoabeofficial3116 Didn't you unalived?
As a resident of Georgia where YKK has their factory in the US I love that you put this together. I have known about YKK for a long time and tell people about them when talking about our local state's economy. YKK came to GA as part of the Carter administrations push to bring Japanese industry to our state. He was GA's first and only politician to become President of the United States and while many people did not like much of what his Administration did, his impact on the GA/JP manufacturing relationship can be felt even today with factories that were built during his administration still open today including YKK in Macon, GA, Yamaha in Newnan, GA, Kubato in Gainesville, GA, Makita in Flowery Branch, GA and many more older and newer companies like Yakult who is opening a new factory in Bartow County.
As a Taiwanese who grew up drinking Yakult, I'd never have guessed they'd have a factory in GA.
Now this is interesting!
Loved your closing sentence. As a Westerner having lived to Taiwan for over 8 years, working on Product Development, I have really embraced the fact that every single human-made object is other than trifle. For every single component, object, there is a bigger or smaller story behind. Nothing is "simple" or "cheap" (even if the actual and perceived quality is not the best). Nothing is "automatically made". Mass production is a craft, and heavily a hands-on-hand-involved process, even if the final object is injected, extruded, assembled by a machine.
I am looking forward to moving back to Taiwan/Asia soon, as I loved the Asian mentality of realism, pragmatism, humbleness in a fascinating combination with superstition of understanding that there is a % in manufacturing, in life that human cannot control.
This is interesting, toddy I was browsing some basic snorkeling equipment at a beach. It is by definition cheap and cheerful. It seems the folks who design it have never used it, of if they did, would have improved it. While a lot of effort may still have gone into making it look the part, how much more is needed to make it good?
@@tails4eI think he’s referring to the working class. They did their best with what they were given and can’t control a titewad owner with slim margins to make their shareholders happy, even if that means making less money and profit on their books. Shares matter. Not profit. Too many hands in the pot.
YKKs classic all-metal "scoop" style zippers are the only ones that have never failed before the garment or footwear for me. Sure, most modern plastic zippers work great for low utilization stuff, but for jeans, jackets and boots I actively look for YKK. Fun fact: The Danish army insist on them.
The Norwegian Army does too
@@magfal Honestly I think we get our uniforms made in the same factory.
@@andersjjensennordic uniform upcoming
same with me !
Big teeth ones never fail but medium size teeth metalic one do fail quite often because the cursor is not stiff enough to withstand the pulling force. I consider the medium size of bad quality as you can not find replacement cursor/slider from YKK and not from other companies in reverse configuration (used for water sealing configuration ofnthe tape or visual benefit). You will be forced tontrash your clothes because of that. Not a durable thing
I now look for clothes without medium YKK for that reason.
"One might look down on the humble zipper." Yep, I do that several times a day! 😊🤣
These videos are so consistently well made, it's always a pleasure. Keep it up!
As an outdoorsman, I always look for ykk zippers, ice shacks, float suits, and things I rely on and not just for fashion I always buy brands that have ykk, I had no idea this was a Japanese brand but now it explains allot. Cool video
I grew up with heavy duty camping and scuba gear. Zippers were the most vulnerable components and I always look for the ykk Logo when I buy something. If it has a ykk zipper I can generally count on everything else being first rate.
i'm a fashion designer who has been obsessively watching your videos, its hilarious to me that you're inevitably covering a topic I am already familiar with!
SuperDry zippers suck. You notice how trademarked products often suck? Paying for the logo. That said, I saw an early 1990s movie the other day and it was LOL how all the clothes were generic, no logos of any kind.
@@raylopez99I don't know if you are mocking or praising the lack of logos in the 90's.
I am curious how you would rate this video since you are familiar with the product/industry.
Generally I find Asianometry to be fairly accurate.
@@Runmeerkat I'm mocking. But I myself don't like being a walking billboard. However, these days my partner dresses me and she keeps abreast of the latest fads. Had me dressed up a while ago in a SuperDry jacket with scores of zippers layered on, all poorly made.
It's easy to underestimate basic items like zippers until you get a bad one then a quality ykk one. I've shopped 200$+ items based on ykk zippers. Even Jesse James promotes some of his goods as having ykk zippers. These fellas know their stuff. Thank you for providing context to their products. Always an amazing treat to hear you on a subject.
All my motorcycle gear has YKK zippers and it is something I actually look for when I buy gear. The quality, reliability, strength, and ability to stay closed even in the event of a accident is all the reason I need to ensure my gear has these zippers.
Same. The Danish army insist on them, so after 17 years in the service, and never having one fail on me, it rubbed off on me and it's one of the few areas where I'm actually brand loyal.
Even in Mainland China/Hong Kong where I live, aproduct with YKK zippers is taken of being higher quality than any other brand of zippers, even if that is the only redeeming point of the product in question.
Also it is common for products in this region that have YKK zippers to bring a tag exactly showing that, with the YKK logo white over dark purple background.
I take non YKK zippers as a sign of general low quality of materials in a product.
@@magfal
Yeah, evidence that they're corner cutting, not good sign
@@magfal unless its riri
You never appreciate good zippers until you buy something that has bad zippers. I think they are one of the small often overlooked but essential parts of human life now
Trivia you missed: East Sun Button Factory, Limited, a YKK Hong Kong subsidiary that produced metal buttons, primarily for jeans. Now defunct, it was located in the huge HK Spinners Industrial Building in Lai Chi Kok. Needing precision rivets better and cheaper than those produced by screw machines, I ventured forth as a young engineer to find precision stampers and discover them. They could do the job and many millions of rivets later, we developed a jig welding technique to eliminate them.
It's always a pleasure watch your videos. I follow this channel mostly because of semiconductor technology coverage, but even the videos about other subjects are great!
I’ve used YKK zippers for creating my own garments & they are the only ones I use. They are highly reliable & smooth. The high-end line, I think it’s called Excella, are beautiful zippers-slide smooth as silk and, of course, more fashion oriented. They are great for exposed applications. YKK zippers are so good, that I have even seen cheap fakes -that are inferior quality. For that reason, it is a good idea to only buy from a reliable, established seller. SIL Thread in NYC and Zipperstop are a couple. I made many garments and never had a YKK break or jam. That’s a testament to Yoshida. Thanks for this video.
Thank you so much! I have wished for a video on YKK for a long time. Every time I have a failed zipper it's always a non-YKK one.
Bro, this was amazing, thank you for making that.
Shocked they only have 40% of the global market. I very rarely see a non-YKK branded zipper on clothing, although I do tend towards more expensive clothing and I guess non-clothing applications exist.
Crappy stuff from H&M always has the flimsiest plastic SBS zippers, and they sell A LOT of almost single-use clothes.
some manufacture use SBS or other china/india ones that more cheaper, in indonesia most cheaper mass manufacture clothing use KCC brand, that I had experience and it equally bad I think. But if you go to local seamstress or some higher quality brand like you did, they tend prefer YKK over others, as they price to the performance is much more better and a better option rather sacrificing the quality on the final product. Some product manufacture in here (indonesia) proudly put YKK name/pointing out that they use YKK as a sign of quality.
but if you seeing those nameless or the brand name/logo on the puller tag, there is a higher chance it is also YKK, as they actually do OEM zipper slider for some fashion brand, so they stamp the brand or make the slider totally withour any brand. if you look closely, they usually put their mark either behind the puller (usually at the very end and very small) or on the bottom plate of the slider. I know this, as one of jeans brand that I usually buy (Cardinal), is put the brand on the puller, but when I see on under of the puller & the bottom plate, it had YKK mark.
But my friend do said YKK allow brand to make zipper without YKK mark, but at higher cost and higher amount of order, that's why most of brand here (as I know) still bearing YKK mark in the zipper somewhere in the slider/puller.
But is it by value or volume?
iirc there is at least 1 road bridge that uses HUGE ykk zippers around its joints
@@andersjjensen That's true, the rise of fast fashion trends, creates a lot of garbage products. Even to the point that clothes are so thin, it's like being naked.
One looks down on the zipper, until they have used a bad one. I always look for YKK zippers in clothes I buy.
Keep up the good content!
I'm a hunter. I use my gear hard, thus I require exceptional quality from it. When it comes to coats, I own two English coats (handmade, one waxed and one tweed) and two German coats (one handmade of loden cloth, and one a simple police parka). And despite the UK having a quality zipper manufacturer, and Germany boasting two manufacturers (that are even as old as YKK), all the coats are fitted with YKK zippers. (the English ones with double zippers, in case you want to ride a horse)
And despite a couple of these coats literally falling apart at the seams (and the manufacturer of the English one sent it back to me saying they will no longer repair it, and the lifetime warranty stops there), the zippers still hold up.
As a Japanese denim nerd, this video was fantastic.
The best zippers. Can confirm. I am a fashion designer/historian and have worked (among other places) at New York City’s largest vintage clothing store (the now defunct Cheap Jack’s.) I have seen perhaps thousands of zippers. YKK are the best. Inferior zippers will immediately devalue any garment. In both form but especially function. Dope video. Just looked through my closet / archive and none of my YKK’s are broken, whilst others I’ve had to repair or just “decommission” and revert to safety pins. 1990s Nike, 1970s Spalding, Adidas, Columbia, LL Bean, Wrangler, some Korean company from the 80s: all YKK, all working. Champion branded C9 garments I own use inferior zippers, and if they break, and you’re screwed. (Champion/ C9 still makes excellent garments and I wear those too.) Looking once more, I have a pair of 1990s JNCOs, and a mysterious psychedelic 1970s brand of Farah slacks, some 1980s “golf pants” and some late 70s Levi’s with Talon. All working fine. Interesting to note, none of my Levi’s jeans from the past decade or so include anything but Levi’s branded zippers. Perhaps they make them in house at this point, I’m not sure. I have more pants to survey, but the above list is exhaustive enough.
riri better
I make leather goods and use YKK for most of my wares, but if I am using or making a premium product Riri makes the best zipper available IMO . Excellent video and very informative. Thank you.
My father was a machinist for a zipper factory in Hong Kong. The factory eventually closed down and this Japanese company who was later known to be YKK bought all the machines (or the whole factory, I do not remember exactly) and sent them to Japan. They also offered him to Japan but he declined. My father said YKK couldn't legally import new machines at the time so they had to go thru loophole like this. I am not sure where this would fit in the timeline but just want to share. I might ask him next time of the exact year.
YKK is often noted in motorcycle gear product descriptions as a mark of quality. Like the description will tell you a bunch of stuff like abrasion resistance and impact ratings, and throw in “YKK zippers” to let you know it’s the good stuff.
It’s always stood out as slightly odd to me that zippers have their own branding. Pretty cool stuff.
I was lured here to watch zipper history by the quality of all your other videos. You zipped the story together quite well. Long may the Zipper King reign.
I love the path you’ve chosen concerning your content. Your very talented and I feel blessed and lucky to have you as a content creator. I honestly believe you could do anything and I think this is a fine and noble use of your time. I mean I love learning from your videos. I don’t know anyone who could do it better than you. 👍👍👍 I tip my hat to you sir
There is so much trash content out there I think your a gift to this world man definitely a positive impact and legacy your leaving. I also really admire your research skills it’s remarkable.
From Silicon Photonics, High-NA EUV to Soviet computer industry, Chinese control of rare earths and now zippers…
You’re interests are 100% EPIC and I love them all!!! 😂❤
Now we just need a Soviet smart zipper made of rare earth metals. "Uranium zipper is sure to make your bits tingle, comrade. Such is the zest of life."
I remember when zippers first came into market when I was an elementary school kid in Taiwan…. and your zipper would just burst open for no reason, until YKK came into the scene. Only then did zippers finally replaced buttons and were widely accepted as part of our uniforms. Ya…. And watch out for your foreskin.
Don’t tell US men born between 1960 to 1990 because they are “manly” without it! But they are the only group in the world. Lol
@@rafaeltorre1643 I wonder what the zippers caught then… there is something about Mary…
@@JonahTsai lol
I’m always disappointed when my clothing zipper isn’t YKK. They are just way more reliable and last longer.
I’ve never had a YKK-branded zipper fail. I don’t see a whole lot on my clothes here in the USA.
Excellent video as usual....
As a Brazilian, a country that houses millions of Japanese, these Japanese products were always popular in the country.
As a child, I always wanted to know what YKK meant in Japanese....
May God bless you always !
Thanks for the excellent video !
Could you please make a video about the Japanese immigration to Brazil ? I always wanted to learn about why they left Japan....
There is a beautiful Brazilian movie from the 1980s named " gaijin"
@@blaiseutube
Never heard of it before but I will give it a try ! Thanks and may God bless you always !
What a fantastic video!
Zippers have always interested me. The challenges in making a zipper are many fold and the fact that companies get it right is astonishing.
Yesterday I saw history of zipper in yt short today in detail video by asianometry
I really like your video i watch when ever i got time because it is interesting and informative. I really appreciate your work.❤❤ Love from Nepal
Here in the Philippines, a little over a decade ago, YKK actually made a jingle that was always playing on the radio. It was basically an acapella quartet singing YKK zipper's praises, and it was a hell of an earworm. I dunno why YKK thought they needed a jingle, but 10+ years later I instaclicked the second I saw YKK on the thumbnail of your (very well-made) video. So... well played, YKK Philippines(?)
I just found the jingle on TH-cam! Just search for YKK Philippines Jingle if anyone's interested.
Y-K-K, world class zipper talaga... hehhehe
@@3nglehart Ah, a fellow zipper fashionista! XD
Check your Levi’s…
they say YKK right on them…! Long time relationship!!!!
😃
I Lived in New York in the 1970's, around late 1973 or early 1974 at the local commuter train stop in our town, a town comprised of mid and upper level management working New York City was a large advertisement for YKK. A very strange ad in a town that had no factories just small consumer shops, not even a mall. I could only think that there was someone who worked in fashion who was being targeted by YKK. Very strange. Town was Woodmere NY.
Thats an interesting observation. Maybe a bit of sleuthing needed there .
Dear Asianometry, Thank you for another well made and researched piece. The story of TALON is a wonderful example, not of product design or engineering prowess, but instead an all too typical story that emerges from America, and that is that a perfectly good product or business is shuffled into the ground because shareholder profit and future sale value are the the primary drivers, not support of the business itself. I am unsure of this, but I have a feeling this was originally a peculiar American socioeconomic phenomena, but I believe I see the Chinese adopting this concept now as well.
Regarding the zippers themselves, I have seen both the Raccagni and RiRi Zippers here in the states, they are "Amazingly" well made. The plastic YKK's are OK, but because they are plastic their lifespans are not very long. My father had some American Made 100% Heavy Cotton overalls he worked in for years, they had TALON zippers, they were well designed, well made, almost indestructible, they would outlast the material of the garment, but they were not fashionable, though and internet search shows that they currently supply zippers to Brooks Brothers, Uniqlo, Levi’s, BCBG, and Abercrombie & Fitch.
Good video - the rise of YKK and it's dominance in that market is pretty well known, but it was nice to see Asianometry do its version of the story. The rise of a Chinese competitor is noteworthy, not too surprising. But... YKK has always been manically focused on zippers. The fact that it's been able to stay dominant despite the move of a lot of textile manufacturing to China is impressive.
Zippers are one of those things that contribute relatively little to the overall cost of a product, but it is essential that they work. So, for many manufacturers, it's worth spending a bit more to ensure they are trouble free. It's the same with those companies that make a small but essential piece of, say, a car or an aircraft or a missile. It's worth the OEM spending a bit more for that component. Manufacturers of such small-but-essential components are often some of the most profitable companies.
It's reasonable to expect textile manufacturing to be ever less China-centric - China is no longer the super-low-cost manufacturing center and textile manufacturing tends to move to places with the lowest labor rates.
So YKK and SBS ought to be on a fairly level playing field as that happens.
I'm so glad you did this video. One of the best stories on industry
Love these profiles on Japanese firms that became world champions. Could you do one on Matsushita? From National to Panasonic, owners of brands like Technics and AKAI, acquired the bankrupt Sanyo and becoming an early investor in Tesla.
YKK zippers are of excellent quality. I am always heartbroken when I find a nice piece of clothing with a suspect, non-YKK zipper. From hard-won experience, the competing zippers just aren't up to snuff and fail all too often. Thanks for the video. You have saved me from doing this research myself ❤
Every part of modern life has so much thought and engineering behind it
I lived in Germany for a while next to a YKK factory. I knew that they made zippers but not that it had a Japanese background. I am an admirer of Japanese culture. So I thank you for this video with this diverse information.
I love your varied content. And your subtle humor too.
such a simple, elegant and useful invention
And all this time, I thought YKK was a Taiwan company. Thanks for this interesting and informative video.
Most people think they're a local brand, as YKK has factories all over the world :P
12:53 I worked at YKK when I first got married! I ran the dryer process that ran after the material got dyed. I was a 21-something temp worker surrounded by these 50-70 year old ladies who worked circles around me lmao. It was an interesting place for sure.
This video was well-timed! I was just noticing the YKK zipper on my jacket yesterday and wondering about it briefly lol. This video was fascinating. Thank you!
God be with you out there everybody. ✝️ :)
Wow, I had no idea YKK is made in Japan. Love your content. ❤
As a kid, I assumed the Y in YKK was a designation for Canada, akin to the Canadian airport designations like YYZ or YUL.
Very enjoyable and illuminating. Thank you.
When you think of it, the zipper is an amazing invention in its simplicity, versatility, and when done right, durability. YKK is certainly a brilliant example of how to create a business from the ground up, stay relevant and profitable. Great documentary, Asianometry!
Another great video. Great graphics and photos.
I didn't think I had worn any zippers without YKK on it. Which makes it ironic to look down while watching this video and see the American Eagle (Outfitters) initials on my zipper.. Which is probably still "secretly" YKK
Over the past few years, I wondered about YKK since they are on almost all zippers that I noticed. Thanks!
Until 16 minutes and 58 seconds ago I did not know that learning about zippers would be one of the most fascinating things to happen to me today.
Another well made video.
If I may a feedback - Show numbers on screen.
When you talk years, how many were sold and such, always write a number, like you sometimes do. Keep the image, there is space on back border like 2:40, but I had to rewind a few times to process that time span was 10 years and how many, then imagine time period.
Maybe only minority viewers would appreciate this though. My marks were always lowest at history class as I struggle to remember names and dates.
They dominate because they are THE BEST DAMN ZIPPERS out there-first found outdoor gear 30 years ago-I won't buy anything without them
I used to go into Levi's factories where they sewed together jeans. YKK had installed zipper making machines in these factories. They also provided the equipment to test these zippers.
I can't recall ever having a YKK zipper fail. The tolerances on the teeth must be surprisingly tight - they have to grip onto flexible fabric during assembly, and reliably mesh with their mates for thousands of zips and hundreds of washings. You would think they have alignment problems, yet they don't.
Did you look into YKKs relationships with clothing makers? Would someone like Levis ever consider a different supplier?
Great topic! Always wondered about YKK's dominant presence.
I’ve always bought YKK ; this was the favorite upload I never knew I needed!
This is why I adore your channel
2:55 the way you described that company's thought process was soooo funny 😂
When I was a kid, I noticed how much better quality YKK zippers were, but I had no idea what YKK was...which intrigued me all these decades until I saw this. Thanks!
That was interesting and well researched. I always wondered what YKK stood for. Quality, it stands for quality.
Very cool that they publish their financial information as if they were publicly traded even though they’re a private company
I have always believed YKK was from Finland, probably a finnish guy who told me, but now I know the truth!!! Thanks Asianometry, and as always great content!
This team is nothing short of amazing. 🏆
I have been worked 2 year at ykk in weaving dept produce the tape nice factory and good quality from the material and good end product
I remember Talon zippers, at one point, they were high quality. I've owned several products with YKK zippers and prefer them.
You have a great sense of humor
I enjoyed this show as much as any other of your shows. Zippers are amazing!
what made the "high-end" zippers high-end? it's hard to imagine how better you can make this thing. i mean sure i can imagine some low quality zippers that would easily come lose, but something even higher quality is hard to imagine if even the invisible zipper is considered middle
I manufacture leather goods and my choice for a premium zipper is Riri. They polish all the metal parts for exceptional smoothness and it is noticeable. YKK has a premium line as well where they do the same but I do not have experience with them as I am very pleased with Riri. Additionally they have a higher thread count fabric tape but tbh only manufactures would really notice this. The smooth operation is so good.
@@densealloy thanks! that's very interesting to know
Congratulations on another great video! I really find the topic and your explanations very interesting. On a side note, I was watching the video, looked at the zipper on my trousers and there it was... YKK! :D
funny you made a video about YKK. Most cycling jerseys use YKK zippers and I recently bought a bunch of replacement zipper pulls to fix some broken zippers :)
I can hear traffic noise in your audio, I thought "why it got busy at midnight?". So I paused the video and "oh". Anyway, great video, I do some sewing and was an intern for a while at a designer bag maker, they use YKK or nothing, it's the best zipper on the market.
There's a YKK plant here in Dublin, Ga. Growing up we knew what the "YKK on yo zipper" meant 🙃
I've always noticed what was written on zippers and the ones with ykk always lasted long never thought you'd make a video on this 😂
I am an American living in Japan, for more than 30 years. When I first drove to my wife’s house to meet her parents, there was a big YKK sign where I had to turn, some local factory owned by the company. I thought, this sign might be my destiny, that I will end up living here forever, and it’s been 30 years since then.
YKK #10 Zipper
Rock Solid for Outdoors equipment; easy to zip even with cold bulky clothes but a big and heavy.
YKK #5: Still solid, but lighter weight when you are moving light and fast
I'm a bit out of date, maybe some new ones are out. But when you are traveling fast and light, or
in the outdoors, this matters.
I learned about how special YKK zippers are when I was in China for the Canton Fair. I figured out that a lot of my clothes have YKK on the zipper, they're truly a large commodity in the fashion industry.
world class content. i heart japan
Back in 1999, I was convinced that all my zippers were going to fail on New Years Eve!
Thank you for your excellent work.
Thank God his last name wasn't Konishi
YKK zippers are markers of quality that you should always look for when shopping
Very nice & interesting! As a nerd about processes, I loved how you took some time to spell out the intricacies of how they are made. BUT, you glossed over the change to & the how it's done, for plastic zippers ! 😞
YKK does make some very good zippers
Just seeing this video, I checked my pants zipper, and sure enough: YKK. I feel I'm not the only one to have done this check and got this result ^^. More seriously, YKK is definitely a logo I've seen in the past, but never paid attention to, thank you for the video.
Ahh I've been looking forward to this one!
It makes sense- zippers need thousands of identical, high precision parts.
I needed this video forever... Always asked me what the matter was with the YKK on almost all zippers
Well the humble Zip is something I have often pondered before continuing as i would with my day. Periodically I noted different styles of Zip and it was often said that YKK is producer of the best Zips in the world , appearing on top of range garments for outdoors activities and Levi's Jeans. Those were the heavy duty brass element Zips and periodically appeared in our shoes, and footwear. So seeing YKK was the first sign of a top quality garment since they cost more than others with good reason.
Always I have respected the Zip which nearly always is the brand used that closes up our overalls, for working in. Those numerous elements always amazed myself as how such a vast number always perfectly matched each other. Spaced so uniform and benefiting with a total closure seam and so on.
It's refreshing to learn something more from the Zipper story thats a massive part of the world.
I sew YKK and Ideal brand of zippers into my gear. It’s hard to beat the buttery smoothness of YKK coil zipper. I only use the Ideal brand because they offer a #9 zipper as apposed to YKK’s #8 or #10 option.
Thank you for the great information.
what a great video about the history of zippers. thanks for all your hard work in making this video!
I remember seeing the Talon name on some sewing notions, but never knew of their zippers, or their connection to zippers (I am sure they do not like that name). YKK have always been my zipper of choice. Their metal zippers are top notch (no pun intended), they have the best plastic zippers I have seen, but plastic is just not sturdy enough for long time use. I had no idea YKK came from Japan, but it is not really surprising. 😎
Good Castlevania reference.