Finding yourself in public with your fly undone is one of those unfortunate scenarios that occupies the nightmares of the easily embarrassed.

While many of us may have experienced that exact humiliating situation on far too many an occasion, there’s a very easy hack that will prevent it from happening ever again.

The zip, which was first invented in the mid-19th Century, comes with a handy lock function that stops it from sliding down when put in a particular position.

All you need to do when your zipped clothes are fastened is ensure that the zip is folded flat against the interlocked teeth when facing downwards. It’s as simple as that.

Don’t believe us? Try it for yourself.

If the zip is facing downwards but is slightly elevated, then you’ll probably find that you can still unzip it with ease.

However, when placed flat against your clothes, it will remain firmly in place and resist any forces attempting to pull it downwards.

Iconic items of clothing from MoMA's Is Fashion Modern? exhibit Show all 8 1 /8 Iconic items of clothing from MoMA's Is Fashion Modern? exhibit Iconic items of clothing from MoMA's Is Fashion Modern? exhibit White T-shirt Shutterstock/SFIO CRACHO Iconic items of clothing from MoMA's Is Fashion Modern? exhibit One-Star Perfecto Leather Motorcycle Jacket, late 1950’s. Courtesy of Schott NYC Iconic items of clothing from MoMA's Is Fashion Modern? exhibit A Mohiniattam sari drape with peplum pleats, a style from Kerala, by Taanbaan, part of The Sari Series: An Anthology of Drape, India, 2017. Bon Duke/Border&Fall Iconic items of clothing from MoMA's Is Fashion Modern? exhibit Dress by Thierry Mugler, 1981. Courtesy Indianapolis Museum of Art/Lucille Stewart Endowed Art Fund Iconic items of clothing from MoMA's Is Fashion Modern? exhibit Sikh men wearing dastar, USA, 2013. B Christopher / Alamy Stock Photo Iconic items of clothing from MoMA's Is Fashion Modern? exhibit A-POC Le Feu, by Issey Miyake and Dai Fujiwara, from the Issey Miyake spring/summer 1999 collection. Yasuaki Yoshinaga Iconic items of clothing from MoMA's Is Fashion Modern? exhibit Knit Aran Style Woollen Jumper. 1942 National Museum of Ireland Iconic items of clothing from MoMA's Is Fashion Modern? exhibit Levi Strauss & Co. waist overalls, 1890 Levi Strauss & Co. Archives

Some zips are designed with a small pin on the handle of the zipper, which slots between the zipper teeth and a hole on the zip slider when the slider is placed flat.

On other zips, there may be hinge contraption on the handle of the slider with pins that are inserted between the zipper teeth when the slider is flat and facing downwards.

While the idea of an auto-lock on zips is not a new creation, this extremely useful function was definitely news to us.

Despite the fact that heading out with your fly undone is a commonly held fear among some, it appears that other denim-wearers have no qualms about bearing some more skin in public.

Earlier this month, an LA-based fashion brand caused widespread confusion with its “extreme cut out” jeans, a pair of bottoms retailing at $168 (£122).

The jeans were held up with a waistband at the top, with the model’s legs and derrière almost entirely on display bar for a few strips of material.