About the service
I work with fastenings every day, and I always start with the same question: does the tape really have to come out? If the teeth are sound and the zip simply opens behind the slider, a new slider of the correct gauge and a fresh top stop bring the jacket back for another two or three seasons. If the teeth are ground down, missing in places, or the tape is torn at the bottom box, changing the slider alone is wasted money — the same fault comes back within a week, usually on the coldest day.
I match tape by type and size: coil, moulded, metal, gauges from three to ten. A jacket needs a separating zip, and I measure the length on the garment while it is closed, from the top stop down to the very bottom of the box, never by the old tape that has already stretched. Where the lining is quilted through or fur is set into the front edge, I open the seam by hand, keep to the original stitch line and close it so the repair does not read from the face side. An edge that has torn once gets reinforced with binding or a light patch underneath, otherwise the new tape will fail in exactly the same spot.
The second half of the job is hardware. Snaps that no longer hold, eyelets pulled through thin fabric, rivets, pulls, D-rings and snap hooks on bags, handles worn through at the fold, strap fixings that tear out of a soft lining. Snaps and eyelets go in with a press and the proper die, not with pliers, and every seam is stitched in thread matched to the colour so the line stays quiet.
— new slider, top and bottom stops when the tape itself is still good
— full tape replacement: separating for outerwear, closed-end for bags and pockets
— shortening a zip to the exact length of the garment
— work through lining, insulation and fur without disturbing the face side
— reinforcing edges and spots where the tape has already pulled out
— snaps, eyelets, rivets, hooks and replacement pulls
— bag handle repair or replacement, reinforced fixing points
— snap hooks, D-rings, sliders and buckles on straps
— bring the whole item, and wear what you normally wear under the jacket so we can fit it closed
— a slider swap is usually same day, a full tape two to four days, a fur-trimmed front up to a week
I match tape by type and size: coil, moulded, metal, gauges from three to ten. A jacket needs a separating zip, and I measure the length on the garment while it is closed, from the top stop down to the very bottom of the box, never by the old tape that has already stretched. Where the lining is quilted through or fur is set into the front edge, I open the seam by hand, keep to the original stitch line and close it so the repair does not read from the face side. An edge that has torn once gets reinforced with binding or a light patch underneath, otherwise the new tape will fail in exactly the same spot.
The second half of the job is hardware. Snaps that no longer hold, eyelets pulled through thin fabric, rivets, pulls, D-rings and snap hooks on bags, handles worn through at the fold, strap fixings that tear out of a soft lining. Snaps and eyelets go in with a press and the proper die, not with pliers, and every seam is stitched in thread matched to the colour so the line stays quiet.
— new slider, top and bottom stops when the tape itself is still good
— full tape replacement: separating for outerwear, closed-end for bags and pockets
— shortening a zip to the exact length of the garment
— work through lining, insulation and fur without disturbing the face side
— reinforcing edges and spots where the tape has already pulled out
— snaps, eyelets, rivets, hooks and replacement pulls
— bag handle repair or replacement, reinforced fixing points
— snap hooks, D-rings, sliders and buckles on straps
— bring the whole item, and wear what you normally wear under the jacket so we can fit it closed
— a slider swap is usually same day, a full tape two to four days, a fur-trimmed front up to a week
