This is obviously not a Hymness bag, but a fast-fashion / mass-produced product, where the zippers are more likely to break. It is difficult to guarantee the quality of low-budget products, where cost-cutting is the priority for many low-price brands.
In most cases, mass-producers will cut the costs of small features like zippers, buttons, etc. The customers cant tell the difference when they buy the product – until they start zipping. As a designer, I experienced this problem countless times, working with large and small brands.
So, what's the alternative?
Let's take my first-born Jada leather bum bag as an example and why a quality zipper makes such a massive difference for this style...
Conscious designers obsess over quality and perfection in every aspect of their products down to the tiniest feature. They insist on high-quality zippers and invest in tried-and-tested technologies to deliver. Yes, zippers are small, but they are also vital to the product's functionality. Can you carry your valuables in a cross-body bag with a broken zipper? No, right?
A high-quality bag with a broken zipper is worthless. It's like a mansion with broken door locks. Regardless of cost, zippers should be made to last. Longevity must be thought into the design and sourcing part from the very beginning. This is a founding principle of Hymness Studio.
The core values of Hymness go beyond the quality of its zippers. I aim to make great designs that leave a smaller planet footprint. These visions are implemented in every one of my designs as much as possible. Every detail counts and must be considered in the process.
When you buy a Hymness bag, they are all made with high-quality and eco-conscious zippers from YKK's sustainable series NATULON®. These NATULON® zippers are made from recycled plastic (PET) collected from the world's oceans.
For every 10,000 zippers, the company recycles about 3,600 plastic bottles. It reduces the demand for virgin plastic, encourages the recycling of plastic bottles, and contributes to the cleanup of polluted marine ecosystems.
Being eco-conscious means, you have to strike a balance in every aspect of life, right down to your zippers. YKK NATULON® recycled zippers can help you cut down your plastic consumption. This is very important because plastic is a significant polluter globally, especially in the world's oceans. Plastic bottles take about 450 years to decompose. Combating plastic pollution requires concerted efforts. While a zipper may seem so small, the accumulated reduction in plastic pollution over time is enormous.
YKK NATULON® recycled zippers are high-quality, eco-consciously, reliable, durable, and certified. You will most likely, never have to replace the zipper on your Jada leather bumbag, which makes it friendly to your pocket and the environment. It was a natural choice, integrating YKK zippers in my bag designs. The process of securing responsibly sourced materials is time-consuming and more costly. But as a customer-centric and eco-conscious designer, I cannot put a price on satisfaction and general common sense.
YKK is not the only quality zipper brand, but I have been working with YKK zippers for over a decade and have become my favorite zipper brand. A few other quality zip-brands worth mention, are SBS or RIRI.