The History of Snap Buttons

In the late 1800s, a German inventor named Heribert Bauer patented snap closures. Called federknopf-verschluss (meaning “spring button closure”), they featured an S-shaped spring; the modern divot associated with snap buttons came along later. Bertel Sanders of Denmark and Albert-Pierre Raymond of France were each issued patents for similar inventions around the same time, and an Australian woman named Myra Juliet Farrell later created a “stitchless press stud” intended as an improvement on earlier designs. However, it was Bauer’s design that remained the most influential. In 1903, Germany’s second-oldest family business, Prym (today known as William Prym GmbH), began producing an improved version of Bauer’s snap closures. These snap buttons were soon adopted by militaries around the world for use on gear as well as by American cowboys, who needed clothing that wouldn’t come undone and snag on fences as they worked. Jack Weil was the first garment maker to put snaps on cowboy dress shirts when he founded Rockmount Ranch Wear in 1946. Cowboy clothing with snap buttons quickly became a popular fashion trend as both Hollywood and country music stars adopted the look in the 1950s. Later, rockabilly groups would often wear similar clothing items to pay tribute to Nashville acts from the time. While the trend for cowboy clothing made with snap buttons died down, the popularity of snaps has still not gone away. Snap buttons can now be found on everything from wallets to children’s clothing. They likely owe their longevity to how secure, convenient, and easy to use they are. Today, snap buttons are still used widely all over the world on a variety of goods, including gear, accessories, and clothing for both children and adults.