Lanvin's Magnetic Closures

Lanvin, Menswear, AW11.

The closure of a garment can sometimes be the all important final touch that will fulfil a fashion designer’s vision. In the case of Lanvin’s recent menswear collection, the streamlined tailoring was sometimes finished with magnetic closures enabling the design team to do away with buttons as an element of distraction.

Lanvin, Menswear, AW11

Magnetic closures are an easy to use alternative to buttons which come in a variety of types. These should be tested on your chosen fabric to ensure that the magnets are strong enough to hold the garment in the way you intended.

In general, for thicker fabrics (such as wool for suits and coats) you will want a stronger magnet which will anchor well into the fabric. For lighter weight fabrics such as silks and fine cottons a magnetic closure encased in plastic is an excellent option as the plastic can be sewn through and the magnet can be placed under a layer of fine fabric to make it completely invisible. Just experiment to ensure that the magnetic closure will still work through the fine fabric.

The first example below has the magnetic closure encased in plastic. The second example can be sewn onto your garment as you would a normal button. The third example is often used as a closure on purses and handbags but can also be used on clothing. This is attached by creating small slits in the fabric to insert the back prongs through. The prongs are then folded down to hold the closure in place.