Before you buy that designer bag today, have you thought about checking the zipper first? because one secret to getting an authentic luxury bag is through the zipper! “zippers don’t lie.”
The quality of the zipper on a luxury handbag is more than just a minor detail; it can be a crucial indicator of its authenticity versus a cheap imitation. Many renowned handbag brands use zippers produced by the Swiss company Riri, which was acquired by the Swiss group Oerlikon in March.
Riri, headquartered in Mendrisio in Switzerland’s Italian-speaking Ticino region, specializes in crafting snap fasteners and zippers for leading French and Italian luxury leather goods and haute couture houses. They collaborate closely with the designers of these brands, creating unique features like colorful teeth-forming patterns or pull-tabs and sliders designed to resemble jewelry. These zippers are typically manufactured in small batches of 60 or more.
Renato Usoni, the president of Oerlikon’s luxury division, pointed out that for such limited quantities, their Asian competitors don’t even commence production. In a market estimated by Usoni to be worth around three-and-a-half to four billion euros, zipper prices range from as low as two euros for a standard one to a staggering 20,000 euros for a gold zipper. The average price is approximately 50 times higher than what you’d find in Asia.
Usoni emphasized that if you’ve invested a substantial sum in a handbag or footwear, the quality of the zipper is of paramount importance. Usoni, who managed Riri before the Oerlikon acquisition, explained that Riri zippers undergo extensive machine testing to ensure durability and to prevent logos and monograms from fading due to wear.
The roots of Riri trace back to 1923, when Swiss entrepreneur Martin Othmar Winterhalter purchased a zipper patent from Swedish-American engineer Gideon Sundback and established a factory in Germany. Faced with the emergence of Nazism, the Jewish owner decided to transport his machinery to a former pasta factory in Ticino in 1936, where he launched the Riri brand. Usoni noted that due to high production costs in Switzerland, the company gradually shifted its focus towards the luxury market.