YKK Denim Accessories Collection
A premium denim hardware collection designed within strict production constraints, and adopted into YKK's standard catalogue.
BRAND
YKK Fastening Products Group Türkiye
ROLE
Product Designer
TIMELINE
2013-2021
WHY DID THIS PROJECT EXIST?
YKK Türkiye, part of one of the world's leading fastening manufacturers, needed original collections its clients could license ready-made.
THE BRIEF: Design a cohesive range of premium denim hardware: buttons, press studs, rivets, belt loops; for luxury denim brands wanting craft-forward alternatives to standard catalogue items, all within YKK's existing tooling and production specs. Production feasibility was a design constraint from day one.
THREE TREND DIRECTIONS
Research in WGSN pointed to three directions for high-segment denim:
01 HERITAGE STORYTELLING
Archival workwear, engraved logotypes, raw metal finishes.
02 MIXED MATERIALS
Cork inlays, mother-of-pearl, enamel on metal: sustainable and premium at once.
03 ARTISAN SURFACE
Hammered textures, brushed emery, deliberate aging; each piece feels hand-touched.
THE COLLECTION
Five product families, one vintage-denim vocabulary; designed as a menu brands can pick from individually or adopt as a full kit.
PRESS BUTTONS .
Surface craft from machined precision to deliberate imperfection. Each button balances artisan heritage with a luxe-minimalist sensibility, drawing inspiration from pre-war automobile design, bold architecture, and the quiet beauty of oxidized metal.
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18–20 mm. size range
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Circular emery centre ground
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Enamel fill application
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Marble & paint splatter effects
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Authentic vintage bleach
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Tampon print logo
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Embossed & brushed logo
DIECAST BUTTONS .
Material contrast and structural confidence: rubber rings, cork inlays, engraved logos. Bold colours against satin metal, and a cork-inlay variant that speaks to sustainable material dialogue
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19 mm - 20 mm size range
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Colourful elastic rubber ring
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Enamel application
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Expanded metal side texture
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Partial cork inlay
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Mono-material construction
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Engraved logo application
BADGES & RIVETS .
Hand-struck metalwork energy, and punk provocation; badge formats draw from jewelery design and architectural signage, resulting in accessories that feel discovered rather than manufactured.
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8 mm - 11 mm size range rivets
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6 to 50 mm diecast badges
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Velvet touch surface
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Deformed & crafted centre
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Textured tactile surface
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Light grey colour painting
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Emboss & engraved logo
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Dual-function application
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Leather or cord attachment
ACCESSORIES & SEW-ON BUTTONS .
Marble effects, vintage tones, a diecast beltloop with a speaker cone geometry elevates a functional menswear element into something closer to industrial sculpture.
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Brushed surface effect
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Marble effect plastic
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Vintage copper & gold tones
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Partial paint application
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Engraved logo application
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Diecast & press versions
WHAT HAPPENED?
22
CONCEPTS
Developed across four product families; 20 selected for prototype sampling.
80%
TOOLED
Taken forward for tooling and used as a sales tool with mid-to-premium denim brands.
@KINGPINS
AMSTERDAM DENIM TRADE SHOW
Presented to customers at the industry's leading denim trade show.
ADOPTED
INTO STANDARD YKK CATALOGUE
Several pieces entered YKK's standard accessory catalogue.
WHAT I LEARNED?
Working in B2B product development taught me to balance aesthetic ambition with manufacturing pragmatism; the most successful designs introduced novelty while staying achievable within existing tooling.
PROCESS DEEP DIVE
The pipeline behind the collection: from trend signal to factory-ready data.
PROCESS
Each concept began with WGSN trend research, moved through rapid construction variants (part count, logo application, surface treatment), then parametric 3D modeling in Rhino attentive to parting lines, draft angles, and assembly tolerances, high-fidelity KeyShot renders (top / perspective / side per design), and stakeholder decks assembled in Photoshop and Illustrator.
01 TREND RESEARCH (WGSN)
Compiled references and extracted a design vocabulary: aged patinas, layered constructions, heritage typography.
02 CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
~18–24 construction variants in Rhino, evaluated for manufacturability, durability, and cost (part count, logo application, surface treatment).
03 3D MODELLING . RHINO
Parametric models attentive to parting lines, draft angles, and assembly tolerances; built for clean STL export.
04 RENDERING . KEYSHOT
High-fidelity renders simulating materials and finishes; three views per design (top / perspective / side).
05 PRESENTATION . PHOTOSHOP & ILLUSTRATOR
Spec cards and inspiration panels assembled into A4 stakeholder decks.
WGSN
SKETCH
RHINOCEROS
KEYSHOT
PHOTOSHOP
ILLUSTRATOR
STL
