Hook and loop history
The success story of the hook and loop system ...
… 1941: hook and loop fastening is invented
In 1941, the Swiss engineer and passionate hunter George de Mestral had the brilliant idea of creating a fastening system using nature as a template. The idea came to him when, after a hunting trip, he took a closer look at the burrs that were proving so difficult to remove from his dog’s coat.
He discovered that burrs have numerous tiny flexible hooks that attach themselves to the loops of fur and do not break on removal.
Since 1959, the VELCRO® brand has stood for the hook and loop fastening that has made how we open and close things so convenient.
The name VELCRO® is made up of the first syllables of two French words:
- VELours (loop)
- CROchet (hook)
