diff --git a/src/spec.rs b/src/spec.rs
index 8c5da7d8..7aa9f08e 100644
--- a/src/spec.rs
+++ b/src/spec.rs
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ use crate::unstable::{LittleEndianReadExt, LittleEndianWriteExt};
 use std::borrow::Cow;
 use std::io;
 use std::io::prelude::*;
-use std::path::{Component, Path};
+use std::path::{Component, Path, MAIN_SEPARATOR};
 
 pub const LOCAL_FILE_HEADER_SIGNATURE: u32 = 0x04034b50;
 pub const CENTRAL_DIRECTORY_HEADER_SIGNATURE: u32 = 0x02014b50;
@@ -217,6 +217,24 @@ impl Zip64CentralDirectoryEnd {
 
 /// Converts a path to the ZIP format (forward-slash-delimited and normalized).
 pub(crate) fn path_to_string<T: AsRef<Path>>(path: T) -> String {
+    let mut maybe_original = None;
+    if let Some(original) = path.as_ref().to_str() {
+        if (MAIN_SEPARATOR == '/' || !original[1..].contains(MAIN_SEPARATOR))
+            && !original.ends_with('.')
+            && !original.starts_with(['.', MAIN_SEPARATOR])
+            && !original.starts_with(['.', '.', MAIN_SEPARATOR])
+            && !original.contains([MAIN_SEPARATOR, MAIN_SEPARATOR])
+            && !original.contains([MAIN_SEPARATOR, '.', MAIN_SEPARATOR])
+            && !original.contains([MAIN_SEPARATOR, '.', '.', MAIN_SEPARATOR])
+        {
+            if original.starts_with(MAIN_SEPARATOR) {
+                maybe_original = Some(&original[1..]);
+            } else {
+                maybe_original = Some(original);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    let mut recreate = maybe_original.is_none();
     let mut normalized_components = Vec::new();
 
     // Empty element ensures the path has a leading slash, with no extra allocation after the join
@@ -224,16 +242,36 @@ pub(crate) fn path_to_string<T: AsRef<Path>>(path: T) -> String {
 
     for component in path.as_ref().components() {
         match component {
-            Component::Normal(os_str) => {
-                normalized_components.push(os_str.to_string_lossy());
-            }
+            Component::Normal(os_str) => match os_str.to_str() {
+                Some(valid_str) => normalized_components.push(Cow::Borrowed(valid_str)),
+                None => {
+                    recreate = true;
+                    normalized_components.push(os_str.to_string_lossy());
+                }
+            },
             Component::ParentDir => {
+                recreate = true;
                 if normalized_components.len() > 1 {
                     normalized_components.pop();
                 }
             }
-            _ => {}
+            _ => {
+                recreate = true;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    if recreate {
+        normalized_components.join("/")
+    } else {
+        drop(normalized_components);
+        let original = maybe_original.unwrap();
+        if !original.starts_with('/') {
+            let mut slash_original = String::with_capacity(original.len() + 1);
+            slash_original.push('/');
+            slash_original.push_str(original);
+            slash_original
+        } else {
+            original.to_string()
         }
     }
-    normalized_components.join("/")
 }