The Zipper: A Fascinating Fastener
Brooklyn designer, Kate Cusack, approaches jewelry design as a visual artist, rather than as a fashion designer. She sees beyond the given purpose of a material and works with its other possibilities — treating it as line, color, and texture. In this way, Kate used a humble, metal-teethed zipper, in 2003, to create the first Zipper Pin. Since then, hundreds of pins have been sold in museum shops and fine craft galleries across the country. In 2006, Kate began a series of one-of-a-kind Zipper Necklaces. Both pins and necklaces are playful works of art that are both decorative, and unexpectedly sophisticated conversation pieces.
“In art school,” Kate explained, “I realized that once you allow yourself to use materials in unconventional ways, then, just about anything is possible. It’s ironic that most fashion designers try to hide or disguise zippers in their creations. However, I love zippers’ shiny metal teeth and I want to show off, not hide, their sparkle and their sinuous flexibility.”
Kate’s ingenious creations makes us realize that there is no limit to what one can do with a humble zipper.
