QuickFree®, a zipper developed by YKK, has been recognized in the “Personal” category of the 2019 GOOD DESIGN® Awards. Founded in Chicago in 1950 and presented each year by The Chicago Athenaeum, the Good Design Award is considered the oldest and most prestigious global awards program for design excellence and design innovation. The award honors both products and industry leaders in design and manufacturing that have chartered new directions for innovation and pushed the envelope for competitive products in the world marketplace. One of the main factors for the awards selection whether a product can enrich society and people’s lives through its design.

QuickFree®, which came to market in 2017, is a zipper that promotes safety, security, and a sense of independence and accomplishment in small children who can open and close clothing alone through the zipper’s improved operability and its release function. By improving the zipper’s visibility through changing the shape of the slider and widening the area into which the pin is inserted, YKK has reduced the possibility of the pin being inserted into the wrong part of the slider. Moreover, when a certain load is applied to the left or right of the zipper, the slider “snaps” off with a releasing function that allows the zipper to open without lowering the slider, thereby reducing the possibility of the clothing putting pressure on a child’s body*, such as when the child’s clothing get caught on playground equipment.

Courtesy: Textile World