Velcro, world’s most reliable fastener was invented by accident 

Are you familiar with Velcro? Of course, you are! After all, it’s everywhere starting with your shoes and jackets to medical braces and furniture covers. But what is it, actually? It’s the world’s most sought-after, versatile, hook and loop fastener used in all aspects of modern life.  

For the unversed, Velcro consists of two strips of fabric, one covered with minute fibre hooks and the other made up of tiny fibre loops. When brought together, both of them stick strongly with one another. 

Having said that, do you know when Velcro was invented or by whom? No? Okay, let’s find out together. 

Stuck to the burrs 
It was 1941 when a Swiss engineer named Georges de Mestral had just returned from one of his walks to the Alps with his pet dog Milka. This is when he noticed that burrs (a rough and prickly husk that often stick to fur or clothing) from a local burdock plant clinged to his pants as well his dog’s fur. An amateur inventor yet curious by nature, De Mestral decided to examine burr under microscope after he observed this. His investigations soon revealed that burr had the natural tendency to get attached to fur and clothing. But how did such an insignificant plant part have such a strong hold? Taking a closer look, he realised that the burr tips actually contained invisible tiny hooks. He also knew that if he could somehow devise a hook and loop system out of it, it would act as a great fastener with various practical uses. Well, it took 14 long years for him to turn burrs into Velcro.  

World welcomes Velcro 
The biggest challenge for De Mestral was to find out which fabric creates the strongest hold when it comes in contact with burr. Realising it wasn’t really his cup of tea, he commissioned a French weaver and started his trial with cotton. A prototype was made with a burr strip containing thousands of hooks and another strip made up of thousands of cotton loops. But cotton was too soft and often tore when used repeatedly.  

He kept on trying out different materials while looking into the optimal size of loops and hooks. After almost a decade, he concluded that it was synthetic that worked the best, especially heat-treated nylon and polyester, which were both strong and durable. Once this was figured out, he also needed to build a special type of loom that could weave the fibres in the exact shape, size and density.  

By 1955, De Mestral’s experiment was a success and he realised that each square inch of synthetic required 300 hooks of burr to remain perfectly fastened (temporarily), yet could be pulled apart whenever necessary.  

Right after De Mestral set up the first batch of the product, he came with the name Velcro. It was the combination of two French words, ‘velvours’ meaning velvet and ‘crochet’ meaning hook. Soon, he also received the patent for Velcro and eventually set up plants across Europe, USA and Canada.  

Bonus fact: The method of examining an aspect of nature and later using its properties for practical applications, something that was pioneered by De Mestral to develop Velcro is now called ‘biomimicry.’  

Velcro has evolved, thanks to NASA 
When De Mestral launched Velcro, it was meant to be a ‘zipper-less zipper’ for clothing. However, in 1959, fashion critics regarded Velcro as an ugly and cheap choice, often ruining the look of clothes. Thus, Velcro moved on from the apparel industry to that of athletic wear and equipment, while its popularity declined.  

However, in the mid-1960s, it soon rose back to fame when NASA started using it to keep objects in space from floating around in zero gravity. In fact, it ensured that all space suits and helmets have Velcro installed in place of snaps and zippers, as it was far more effective.  

Thanks to NASA, Velcro literally took off, and it wasn’t before long that various industries took interest in it. For instance, in 1968, Velcro replaced shoelaces when Puma introduced the world’s first Velcro fastened sneakers. Soon, manufacturers of kids’ wear also realised the convenience of Velcro and the rest as they say, is history. Velcro is now no longer a novelty product, it’s a necessity.  

Fun fact: In 1984, comedian David Letterman wore a Velcro suit during one of his late-night TV shows and catapulted into a Velcro wall. This introduced the world to a new trend called Velcro wall jumping.