In 1941, Swiss engineer and inventor George de Mestral became intrigued by the burdock burrs that stuck to his dog’s fur as they passed by the unique plants on a hike.
Recognising the potential of the unique fastening capabilities of the hundreds of microscopic “hooks” on the burr, de Mestral worked to develop a process to translate the burdock burr’s fastening to textiles and creating what we now call hook and loop.
He named his company, "Velcro," an amalgam of the French words “velour” (velvet) and “crochet” (hook). He got a patent for his hook and loop in 1955 and the first trademark registration for the VELCRO® mark in 1956.
VELCRO® was first used commercially in the aviation and aerospace industries. It was used to secure items in place during flights. VELCRO® was also used in the medical field to hold bandages and dressings in place. Then, in the 1960s, VELCRO® became popular in the fashion industry. It was used as a closure for clothing, shoes, and accessories. VELCRO® was particularly popular in children's clothing because it was easy for young children to fasten and unfasten on their own. In more recent years, VELCRO® has been used in a wide range of applications across many industries, and has become a widely used fastening system due to its versatility and ease of use.
VELCRO® has enjoyed a close relationship with NASA over many years. NASA has repeatedly leveraged the durability, reliability, strength and versatility of VELCRO® Brand fasteners to help solve some of the engineering challenges of space travel, including extreme environments, zero gravity, limited dexterity in space suits and many unknowns. Indeed, VELCRO® Brand hook and loop was used extensively throughout the Apollo 11 command and lunar modules. These uses, some of which were specified by the mission astronauts themselves, included all the obvious things … but one that deserves special mention. Some NASA astronauts built VELCRO® Brand hook-and-loop tape into their helmets, so they could scratch their noses while in outer space. Naturally, there's a Reddit thread devoted to this.
The Velcro Company’s patent expired some time ago, and not every hook and loop fastening out there has anything to do with VELCRO®. As a result their lawyers are very keen to make sure that people don’t use “velcro” as a noun or a verb e.g. Check out my new velcro shoes! VELCRO® is actually a brand, and that’s why in 2017 they made a somewhat surreal video to support their #dontsayvelcro campaign. Pour yourself a drink and take a look HERE.
Finally, hat tip to London based XK Studio who were approached by VELCRO® Australia to create a tribute film that celebrates the hook and loop technology behind VELCRO® brand fasteners. Check that out HERE.
Story Idea: Laurie Rosenwald
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References
thoughtco.com/the-invention-of-velcro
velcro.com/original-thinking/our-story
VELCRO® is a registered trademark of Velcro IP Holdings LLC
Images
1. VELCRO® First Logo from 1956
2. George de Mestral and the burdock burrs that stuck to his dog’s fur
3. VELCRO® Patent from 1955
4. Microscopic VELCRO®
5. VELCRO® with NASA in space
6. Don't Say Velcro Video HERE
7. VELCRO® Brand Hook and Loop by XK Studio HERE
