Doozie alterations services will often repair or replace inoperative zippers in clothing, and our upholstery workroom will do the same on cushions and pillows. If you experience a zipper failure, please be sure to keep the zipper pull if it has come off of the track. Many pulls are marked with a number on the back that helps us find an effective replacement pull, which is frequently the least expensive repair we can provide for you.

Zippers in commercially made clothing seem to be currently experiencing unprecedented failure rates, and we are often called several times each week with reports of failures. Quality control seems to be lacking in many overseas manufacturing plants, resulting in expensive repairs or replacement being sought by the consumer.

If you experience a zipper failure in a new or nearly new garment, we suggest you return the item to the store and insist on a replacement or a refund. Several major outerwear manufacturers guarantee their zippers for the life of the garment, and they will replace either the zipper or the whole thing if you return it to them, even after a period of time. North Face and REI have both stood behind the zippers in their products for many years.

To extend the life of your zippers, there are a few basic precautions we recommend to our clients.

~First, take the time to close a zipper before laundering the garment or cushion cover. When the two tracks are completely engaged, there is less opportunity for the teeth or coil of the zipper to become snagged in something.

~When closing an ‘invisible’ zipper, never let the pull do all the work. With one hand, hold the open sides of the zipper together as you GENTLY pull up on the zipper.

~Remove trousers slowly and carefully when undressing, particularly women who usually have hips wider than their waistlines. The stress of pulling on a garment can disengage the teeth of a zipper and lead to failure, particularly in the low-rise jeans.

Doozie believes in making old items new again in the most cost-effective way. However, replacing a zipper in an already-constructed garment is a time-consuming process, and thus it is not particularly inexpensive. When an item is manufactured, the zipper is often installed first, and then the garment is sewn. When we replace a zipper in an existing garment, we have to de-construct some of the workmanship, and we always have to work within the confines of the whole. The process can be further complicated if there is a lining, or if the garment fabric is a stretchy knit. In general, replacing zippers makes sense in furniture cushions and good-quality clothing items that are costly to replace. However, replacing the fly zipper in a pair of Dockers usually costs about $25, and if you can purchase a new pair at Costco for the same price, then zipper replacement does not make economic sense.