Advice on Loki Robes Trim/Binding

[Leyton]

Hey RPF,

I'm in the process of planning a Loki outfit (based on his original Avengers film outfit) and was looking at how to achieve the gold patterned trim on a lot of his robes:

I've seen that, in other people's builds, this effect has been achieved using thousands of zipper stoppers, but I'm struggling to find them here (UK) in the correct size/colour. I've tried to think of alternatives, and one that I think might be possible is using something like rubber trim:

I think that it could be cut in a way that would achieve a strip that can be relatively easily slotted onto the edge of the robe pieces while maintaining spacing (although it would not be accurate on the inside of the robe, since it would just be a long gold strip):

(Alternatively, it could be cut into individual "clips" and then attached to the edges of robe pieces in the same way that the zipper stoppers are.)

However, I have never worked with rubber and so I'm uncertain on parts of it, mainly:

• Can it be painted with a gold/metallic effect that is still somewhat flexible (for installation)?
  • If so, what would the process be? (Primer, colour, flexible clear coat?)
• Would the end result be durable?

If there's any other issues or better solutions that you can think of then please let me know.

Thanks!

 

[TheNickFox]

What kinds of zippers are you able to find where you are?

Seems strange you can’t find gold / brass jacket zippers.

 

[Leyton]

What kinds of zippers are you able to find where you are?

Seems strange you can’t find gold / brass jacket zippers.

Hey TheNickFox! Thanks for your reply.

Sorry, my initial post was poorly-worded. What I meant was the small zipper "top stops"/end caps that are installed at the "top" end of zips to stop the slider from coming off of the teeth (rather than the zipper itself):

MechanicalHyena's build thread showcases how they are applied (to create the gold patterned trim) much better than I managed in my initial post:

However, I haven't been able to source any Zipper Top Stops in the UK in the correct size and colour other than in very small quantities, usually as part of a multipack of sizes/colours for zipper repair, and at relatively high prices. which is why I was looking for an alternative.