From Gucci to Louis Vuitton, it’s all about the hardware – why good, high quality zips are the true sign of a luxury handbag

The zips found on the handbags of major brands are often made by Switzerland’s Riri, and prices range from US$2 per zip to US$21,000 for a gold one

Zips are made in small batches and are tested for resilience – ‘if you paid thousands of euros for a handbag or a pair of boots, the zipper must be perfect’

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A Louis Vuitton bag during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France in 2023. High quality hardware found on the handbags of major brands are often made by Switzerland’s Riri. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 4:15pm, 8 Nov 2023

The zip on a luxury handbag is more than just a detail: it can be one of the best ways to tell whether it’s the real deal or a cheap copy.

The zips found on the handbags of major brands are often made by Switzerland’s Riri, which makes snap fasteners and zips for major French and Italian leather goods and haute couture houses.

It works with the designs of brand stylists, such as colourful teeth that form a pattern, or pull tabs and sliders that look like jewellery. They are then manufactured in small batches of 60 or more.

“For these quantities our competitors in Asia don’t even start their machines,” says Renato Usoni, president of the luxury division of Riri’s owner, Swiss conglomerate Oerlikon.

In a market that Usoni has estimated to be worth €3.5 billion to €4 billion (US$3.75 billion to US$4.3 billion), prices range from €2 per zip to €20,000 for a gold one – with the average price around 50 times higher than in Asia.