Types of buttons: materials, shapes and styles

Snap fasteners

They have a clip closure and are available three types:

• Alpha, with S spring
• Kappa, with circular spring
• Mu, with clip ring

These acronyms are commonly used in the sector of button-maker and we, at Spring’85, use them every day to work and create our personalized buttons.

Buttons with shank

Buttons with shank have both flat and rounded caps and are fixed to the fabric with a metal nail using a small press or automatic machine.

Their surface can be decorated with reliefs, logos and graphics, and be personalized according to the designer's taste or the matching garment on which they are applied.

Flat buttons with four holes

Spring 85 offers classic buttons for knitwear but in metal, perfect for buttoning up shirts and jackets. They have various sizes, shapes and colors. A more glamour touch is done by using threads of the same color or different shades to create dynamism between the details. In addition to the classic application on shirts and jackets, the 4-hole button is also practical and casual for buttoning and unbuttoning classical cotton trousers.

Button materials: which are more used?

Metal buttons can be in:

• Brass, 
• Copper
• Iron
• Steel.

They can be galvanized with precious finishes, such as gold or palladium, or enriched with inserts to create elegant buttons.

How is a button made? Components and types of buttoning up

Buttons, as we have seen, are of different types, in different materials and can have numerous shapes.

The knitting button usually has a rounded shape and consists of a surface with four holes. A thread passes through the holes to fix the button to the fabric of a shirt or suit jacket.

Then there are the snap buttons, applied for example to coats and small leather goods. Snap fasteners are formed by two parts : one called "female" and one "male" which close together, can be reopen as many times as you want.

How many types of buttoning are there?

There are 4 ways to button up:

• American style, perfect for casual garments
• French style, more suitable for formal suits
• Hidden, no buttons visible, usually used for elegant suits
• Popover, is a shorter fastening, ideal for sports shirts.

Men's clothing is usually buttoned on the right side, while women's clothing is buttoned on the left.

At Spring 85 we design custom metal buttons suitable for various garments and for small leather goods.