Accio Zipper

A few weeks ago Under Armour debuted their MagZip Jacket, (the line isn't available until 2014 so calm yo' tits ya'll) with its "revolutionary" magnetic zipper feature. I'll be honest, it's pretty cool. Right now, in the performance activewear industry, the focus has been fabrics - moisture wicking, antimicrobial... but there hasn't been a lot of "practical" innovations. Although this isn't a reinvention of the wheel I think it's a preview of what's to come. Adding or integrating technology into performance garments has been an on-going trend. Perhaps the magnetic zipper is the first example of how we can enhance the more mundane, overlooked aspects of garments.

Essentially MagZip is a strong magnet + a re-engineered zipper clasp which automatically guides the two ends of the zippers together which then allows you to zip up the jacket one handed. *MAGIC* I encourage you to read more articles on this for the comments alone, they are pretty highlarious but they also bring up interesting points; is it safe for people with pacemakers and more importantly, is UA going to share the knowledge...
Although the zipper is patented and licensed by Under Armour the idea actually came from engineer Scott Peters. Peters originally designed the zipper to help those who suffer from a lack of fine motor control and coordination dress themselves with more ease and worked through about 25 prototypes before getting it right. I hope it still gets put to its original purpose. Yes it's neat, and yes when its available for purchase it's going to sell out but I hope Under Armour shares the wealth. I don't know, it would be too bad if UA having the patent meant exclusivity to the activewear world - this could do a huge amount of good for who Peters had in mind.

Do I think this is going to be an explosive trend? No. Am I going to try it on and zip that thing up repeatedly, with one hand, like a boss? Yes.