"Stuck" on History: The Origin of Velcro

Laulie Barker '23 ~ April 2022

The course of history was altered when Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb, and George de Mestral created velcro. Mestral, a Swiss engineer, was hunting in the Jura mountains of Switzerland when he noticed all of the cockle-burrs stuck onto his pants and dog. Yearning to learn more, he discovered that cockle-burs had hooks that embedded themselves into various materials.

In 1941, Mestral began testing different materials that would be tough enough to withstand the push and pull of the hooks. Starting with cotton, which was too soft, he confirmed that the soft textile would not be ideal and found that synthetics worked best.

Next, he set out to design the most suitable size, shape and density for a special type of loom. The official velcro invention was designed in 1955 with three hundred hooks in one square inch of material.

Initially, the invention was intended to replace the zipper, however, he found a huge demand for velcro in fashion as well as aerospace. He got a patent to protect his invention in 1954. Suddenly, the innovation was used for diapers, shoes, hair curlers, home decor, and plenty of other items.

So, next time velcro saves the day, try to remember the fourteen years of development behind the impactful innovation that swept the globe!

Title Photo: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/653760, Pxhere, CC0 1.0