Velcro, that substance beloved by parents of toddlers and costume makers everywhere, is 50
years old today. According to velcro.com, George de Mestral, a Swiss inventor, got the
idea for the unique fastening system after pulling burrs off of his dog. He noticed that
the burrs were so difficult to remove from the dog's fur, because each end contained a tiny
hook. De Mestral designed the two-part fastening system with a loop side and a hook side
and apparel history was made. The Velcro company is sponsoring a Student Design Challenge to celebrate their 50 anniversary. Check out http://www.velcro.com/50years/ for more information.
This useful product is not without drawbacks, however. One of the problems with Velcro has been the annoyingly loud ripping sound it makes when you pull the pieces apart. It is impossible to detach the pieces quietly. Vermont architect Leonard Duffy received a PopSci Invention Award in 2007 for his Slidingly Engaging Fastener, a redesign of the original hook and loop system. PopSci.com states that Duffy was trying to reinvent the zipper when his sister-in-law broke her arm. She was given a cast with Velcro closures and complained about the noise, the skin irritation and the smell when the fabric absorbed sweat and moisture. Duffy created a plastic cast with his new fasteners which worked much better. So happy birthday, Velcro, and thank you to all those creative, curious individuals who come up with new things to make our lives easier.
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