Circa 2012, I picked up a bag of jewelry with painted zipper earrings. Quickly becoming my favorites, I wore them until one by one they were lost to desert mosh pits and mad dashes for the metro train. I lamented their loss, acting out Cinderella trying to replace those zipper earrings.

In 2021 my partner and I purchased a former cargo train depot in our hometown with the intention of building the sewing and design studio of our dreams. As we began our journey, the local dry cleaner’s, John Ash Cleaners, were closing their doors after several decades of serving the area and with that came the liquidation.

On a trip to pickup tables and a cart, my partner spotted several containers of zipper pulls on a shelf. Hundreds of zipper pulls saved from decades of zipper repairs. All shapes, sizes, colors, ages; some double zips and reversible.

I poured out the containers to handle each zipper pull and get a glimpse of their former lives - jeans, coats, jackets, luggage, each one has a story it carries like a ghost.

Not every zipper is the same, even matches have different wear giving each one its own identity and with that, each has its own destiny.

Much like letting fabric tell the designer what it wants to do, I allow the zippers to guide me through my inspirations to create one of a kind pieces

-Endless Meghan, 2024
Fourth World Industrial Arts