Our Story - Velcro Companies History

In 1941, Swiss engineer and inventor George de Mestral was intrigued by the burdock burrs that stuck to his dog’s fur as they passed by the unique plants on a hike.

Recognising the potential of the unique fastening capabilities of the hundreds of microscopic “hooks” on the burr, de Mestral worked tirelessly to develop a process to translate the burdock burr’s fastening to textiles and creating what we now call hook and loop.

Developing a fabric that replicated these hook-shaped extensions proved difficult, but de Mestral was determined. During his experimentation with various textiles in Lyon, France, he stumbled upon a polyamide thread. Polyamide had the ideal properties — durability and “memory” — to provide the strong and durable bond needed for his revolutionary fastener.

While the “loop” textile could be manufactured with relative ease, the hook textile proved more difficult. de Mestral invented a device — based on barbershop clippers — that could efficiently cut the easy-to-make loops, turning them into hooks.

de Mestral named his company, Velcro Companies, an amalgam of the French words “Velour” (velvet) and “Crochet” (hook).