That simple device that we ignore every day is the backbone of this Japanese company that has been a staple of clothing worldwide for as long as most people can remember.

The reason I post this is that most people would not think that something as widely used as the zipper is owned by one company. Do yourself a favor, look at any zipper you find, and I am sure you have many around you. I have three right now, and all of them have the symbol YKK stamped on it. If it doens't (and you'll be hard pressed to find one) it's a counterfiet.

These guys are totally serious about the zipper, so much so that they call the product a Slide Fastening device. Check out their info.