Velcro: A Brief History

Velcro has brought joy and practicality into many lives. With its invention came the eradication of fiddly fights with shoelaces, the elimination of those awkward buttons on your favourite duffel coat and a solution to the jungle of unkempt wires and cables. Yes, Velcro is amazing, so we thought we’d tell the story of how this fascinating invention has changed the world, and how the technology continues to develop and innovate in a range of industries. A Short History of Velcro It’s important to note that Velcro isn’t the name of the hook and loop product we all know and love; it’s actually the name of the company who first created the technology. Velcro’s brand name covers all of their products, including many others we might not be so familiar with. The company was founded after Swiss engineer Georges De Mestral took a stroll in the woods with his dog. He noticed that burr seeds were sticking to his trousers and his dog’s fur. It was this observation that led him to replicate the technology artificially, studying the burr seed’s natural microscopic hooks that clung onto hairs and fabric. But mimicking the hook and loops of the burr seed was far easier said than done. Hook and Loop mechanisms had worked as fasteners before, but never on a microscopic level. This was going to be a challenge. How Velcro Started Out In 1941, Velcro was officially founded, with the hook and loop technology being patented in 1955 and becoming available to the inquisitive public. However, it took a while to get there. The first prototype of Velcro’s hook & loop tape was made from cotton – a stark contrast to the tough nylon products we know and love today. Mestral fastened hundreds of tiny hooks onto one strip of cotton, and hundreds of tiny loops on to another, positioning them randomly to give the hooks and loops a better chance to find each other. Although a success, the hooks and loops failed to attach to each other again after a number of detachments, which meant they could only be used fleetingly. This led Mestral to seek a new material for the hook and loop product. Heat-treated nylon proved best for the job, being both durable and cost effective. It was also easier to produce the product; Mestral realised he could create several strips of loops, and simply cut the ends off half the loops to create the opposing hooks. However, this accomplishment was met with a production issue; it took 10 years for Mestral to create a loom that was able to replicate the nylon hooks on a large, industrial scale. But once, conquered, it paid off, with the Velcro Hook and Loop tape being embraced whole heartedly by the approving public. What’s Velcro used for Today? Mestral envisaged Velcro to be used as an alternative to zips and buttons, and although it has assumed this roll, Velcro hook and loop tape has also been employed across many other industries and markets for a variety of other, more innovative purposes. Velcro Shoes Anyone born since the 1970’s will have experienced the thrill of ripping apart those three straps of Velcro to release their enclosed feet. Puma were first on the scene, utilising the Velcro hook and loop to create the hugely successful trainers we know so well. The technology is still used in shoes today; although due to the Velcro patent is no longer being in place, many other hook and loop companies have also cashed in on the market. Velcro in Space Nasa also employed the power of Velcro tape. The ease of the fastening technology allowed astronauts to easily secure objects to others without the hassle of tying or zipping – something that can be quite difficult whilst wearing big gloves, let alone in zero gravity. Food and personal belongings were fastened using Velcro in astronaut’s living quarters (where zero gravity prevailed) a perfect alternative to fiddly string and liquid adhesives. It also severed a more novel use in when out in space – it’s been said a patch of Velcro tape was fastened to the inside of astronaut’s helmets to be used to scratch their nose!

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