Fastenings

Fastenings

What is a fastening?
1. Component used for closing products for fit, security or enhancement.
2. Designer must consider:
  1. What product is fastening for/what would it suit?
  2. What role does it have to play in product?
  3. How secure does it have to be?
  4. How much will it cost?
Types (1)
1. Zips
  1. One of most secure fastenings, reasonably quick + easy to apply to products.
  2. Different types - come in different weights; some nylon + some metal.
  3. Weight is chosen to suit fabric weight + match colour + metal zips are used for strength (e.g. jeans)
  4. Fixed on tapes often made from woven cotton, polyester + polycotton.
  5. Other types:
    1. Fixed end (base of zip)
    2. Open ended (for jackets)
    3. Concealed fastening (invisible)
2. Buttons
  1. Come in wide range of sizes + materials. Designers select best material + size of button to fit product + way it will be cared for.
  2. Can be damaged in wash/dissolve in dry-cleaning chemicals. Most are fastened with buttonhole but some have loops.
  3. Can also enhance product through matching/contrasting colour or adding feature by being shaped in unusual way or patterned.
3. Toggles
  1. Similar to buttons but tend to be cylinder shaped + can be wood, metal or plastic.
  2. Require loop/cord to fasten + some modern toggles have tightening spring-clip action to hold in place.
  3. Often seen on duffle coats/rucksacks.
Types (2)
1. Hooks + Eyes
  1. Usually made from metal + used when flat fastening is needed.
  2. Hand or machine wash sewn in place + also come in tape form, giving length of hooks + eyes as used in underwear/corsetry.
  3. Tend to be black/silver in colour.
2. Velcro
  1. Hook + loop style fastening used for quick, simple applications especially for children's products - safe + easy to use.
  2. Not suitable closure if fabric is fine - bulky + hooks can snag finer fabrics.
  3. Washes well + is hard-wearing but hooks can pick up other fibres over time, making them less effective if not cleaned regularly.
3. Drawstring
  1. Comprises a cord + open channel to thread cord through to tighten + close product.
  2. Popular on coats, jackets, waistbands + bags.
Types (3)
1. Press Studs
  1. Simple, flat closures used for many textile products. Can be metal/plastic + can be part of design feature or just cheap, simple closure.
  2. Need to be matched correctly + size selected must be appropriate to force that may be put on fastening.
2. Eyelets + Lacing
  1. Metal or stitched eyelets are placed on product + laces are threaded trough to form closure. Can be decorative + can allow adjustment in fit of product.
  2. Style can be found in corsetry + dresses + on footwear.
3. Buckles
  1. Popular for belts, bags + shoes; can be made from metal or plastic + can be very ornately decorated or very simple.
  2. Often have eyelets to fasten into or you may just fold fabric in sliding action to tighten/loosen.
  3. Modern buckles can have LED components with lit-up names on buckle.

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	Created by anndjan21 about 10 years ago