Q. I am interested in finding out about “Velcro.” What can you tell me about it? My kids find it fascinating!
A. Velcro is a brand name for a hook-and-loop method of fastening. It was invented in the 1940s by George de Mestral, a Swiss engineer.
Like many inventions, Velcro was inspired by something George de Mestral saw in nature. In 1948, he was hunting with his dog in the Jura mountains of Switzerland and became intrigued by the burdock burrs (cockleburs) that stuck to his clothing and dog’s fur. He wondered how they stuck on so well. When he loosened them, he examined one under his microscope. What he saw was basic enough. The cocklebur is a maze of thin strands with burrs (or hooks) on the ends that cling to fabrics or animal fur. De Mestral saw the possibility of a strong, lasting and easy-to-use fastener. After almost eight years of experimentation, research and investigation, de Mestral was able to come up with a synthetic version of the cocklebur. He successfully reproduced the natural attachment with two strips of fabric, one with thousands of tiny hooks and another with thousands of tiny loops. Though the first Velcro was made out of cotton, de Mestral soon discovered that nylon worked best because it didn’t wear with use. (Suddath) In 1949, he discovered that, when sewn under infrared light, nylon forms small but tough hooks that easily fasten on to soft polyester material. (Krols) Early news reports (such as one that appeared in Time in 1958) described the product as a zipperless zipper — which, while accurate, sounds a little strange to us now. It seems there just weren’t that many removable, reusable all-surface fasteners back then. (Suddath) After some thought, de Mestral gave his invention the name “Velcro.” Velcro is a brand name and many people refer to it simply as “hook and loop.” The word “Velcro” is from the French word “velour” (velvet) and “Crochet” (hook). (Jones, C.F.)
