Velcro,[2][4][5] officially known as Velcro IP Holdings LLC and trading as Velcro Companies,[1] is a British privately held company, founded by Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral in the 1950s. It is the original manufacturer of hook-and-loop fasteners, which de Mestral invented.[2]
Swiss electrical engineerGeorge de Mestral who studied at EPFL invented his first touch fastener when, in 1941, he went for a walk in the Alps, and wondered why burdock seeds clung to his woolen socks and coat, and also his dog Milka.[2][6] He discovered it could be turned into something useful.[5] He patented it in 1955,[2][5] and subsequently refined and developed its practical manufacture until its commercial introduction in the late 1950s.
The fastener consisted of two components: a lineal fabric strip with tiny hooks that could 'mate' with another fabric strip with smaller loops, attaching temporarily, until pulled apart.[7] Initially made of cotton, which proved impractical,[8] the fastener was eventually constructed with nylon and polyester.[5][9]
De Mestral gave the name Velcro,[2][4] a portmanteau of the French words velours ('velvet') and crochet ('hook'),[2][5] to his invention, as well as to the Swiss company he founded; Velcro SA.[2]
The company continues to manufacture and market the fastening system. Originally envisioned as a fastener for clothing, today, Velcro is used across a wide array of industries and applications; including healthcare, the military, land vehicles, aircraft, and even spacecraft.[6]
"Velcro" is used by some as a genericized trademark,[10] and is additionally sometimes used as a verb.[4] In 2017, Velcro released a "Don't Say Velcro" campaign in an attempt to keep their brand name distinctive from other hook-and-loop fasteners to help keep their trademark protection.[11]
^Strauss, Steven D. (December 2001). The Big Idea: How Business Innovators Get Great Ideas to Market. Kaplan Business. pp. 15–18. ISBN978-0-7931-4837-0. Retrieved 9 May 2008.
^Schwarcz, Joseph A. (October 2003). Dr. Joe & What You Didn't Know: 99 Fascinating Questions About the Chemistry of Everyday Life. ECW Press. p. 178. ISBN978-1-55022-577-8. Retrieved 9 May 2008. But not every Velcro application has worked ... a strap-on device for impotent men also flopped.
^Freeman, Allyn; Bob Golden (September 1997). Why Didn't I Think of That: Bizarre Origins of Ingenious Inventions We Couldn't Live Without. Wiley. pp. 99–104. ISBN978-0-471-16511-8. Retrieved 9 May 2008.
^Ramer, Holly. "Velcro's video implores consumers to say 'hook and loop'". USA TODAY. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Velcro.
Look up velcro in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
velcro, this, article, about, company, type, fastener, originally, patented, hook, loop, fastener, other, uses, disambiguation, officially, known, holdings, trading, companies, british, privately, held, company, founded, swiss, electrical, engineer, george, me. This article is about the company For the type of fastener originally patented by Velcro see hook and loop fastener For other uses see Velcro disambiguation Velcro 2 4 5 officially known as Velcro IP Holdings LLC and trading as Velcro Companies 1 is a British privately held company founded by Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral in the 1950s It is the original manufacturer of hook and loop fasteners which de Mestral invented 2 Velcro IP Holdings LLC 1 Velcro official logo and wordmarkTrade nameVelcro Companies 1 FormerlyVelcro SA 2 Company typePrivately held companyIndustryManufacturing fastening systemsFounderGeorge de MestralHeadquartersUnited KingdomNumber of locationsManufacturing 7 countries 1 Area servedWorldwide 1 Key peopleBob Woodruff CEO Dick Foreman president Velcro N America Norbert Nieleck president Velcro EMEA Paulo Garutti president Velcro Latin America Frank Liao president Velcro APAC 1 ProductsHook and loop fasteners and other products 1 BrandsVELCRO 1 Number of employees2 500 1 SubsidiariesAlfatex Group 3 Websitewww wbr velcro wbr co wbr ukHistory edit nbsp Hook and loop fastener invented by de MestralSwiss electrical engineer George de Mestral who studied at EPFL invented his first touch fastener when in 1941 he went for a walk in the Alps and wondered why burdock seeds clung to his woolen socks and coat and also his dog Milka 2 6 He discovered it could be turned into something useful 5 He patented it in 1955 2 5 and subsequently refined and developed its practical manufacture until its commercial introduction in the late 1950s The fastener consisted of two components a lineal fabric strip with tiny hooks that could mate with another fabric strip with smaller loops attaching temporarily until pulled apart 7 Initially made of cotton which proved impractical 8 the fastener was eventually constructed with nylon and polyester 5 9 De Mestral gave the name Velcro 2 4 a portmanteau of the French words velours velvet and crochet hook 2 5 to his invention as well as to the Swiss company he founded Velcro SA 2 The company continues to manufacture and market the fastening system Originally envisioned as a fastener for clothing today Velcro is used across a wide array of industries and applications including healthcare the military land vehicles aircraft and even spacecraft 6 Velcro is used by some as a genericized trademark 10 and is additionally sometimes used as a verb 4 In 2017 Velcro released a Don t Say Velcro campaign in an attempt to keep their brand name distinctive from other hook and loop fasteners to help keep their trademark protection 11 References edit nbsp Companies portal nbsp Engineering portal nbsp United Kingdom portal nbsp Switzerland portal a b c d e f g h i Company Information www Velcro co uk Velcro IP Holdings LLC Archived from the original on 25 January 2022 Retrieved 29 April 2021 a b c d e f g h Stephens Thomas 4 January 2007 How a Swiss invention hooked the world www SwissInfo ch Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR Archived from the original on 8 February 2012 Retrieved 9 May 2008 Alfatex Group history www Velcro co uk Velcro IP Holdings LLC Retrieved 29 April 2021 a b c Velcro Meaning of Velcro in English www Lexico com Oxford English Dictionary online Archived from the original on 13 January 2022 Retrieved 29 April 2021 a b c d e Suddath Claire 15 June 2010 A brief history of Velcro content Time com TIME USA LLC Retrieved 29 April 2021 a b Who Invented VELCRO History of VELCRO brand and George de Mestral www Velcro co uk Velcro IP Holdings LLC Retrieved 29 April 2021 Definition of Velcro Merriam Webster Dictionary Retrieved 29 April 2021 Strauss Steven D December 2001 The Big Idea How Business Innovators Get Great Ideas to Market Kaplan Business pp 15 18 ISBN 978 0 7931 4837 0 Retrieved 9 May 2008 Schwarcz Joseph A October 2003 Dr Joe amp What You Didn t Know 99 Fascinating Questions About the Chemistry of Everyday Life ECW Press p 178 ISBN 978 1 55022 577 8 Retrieved 9 May 2008 But not every Velcro application has worked a strap on device for impotent men also flopped Freeman Allyn Bob Golden September 1997 Why Didn t I Think of That Bizarre Origins of Ingenious Inventions We Couldn t Live Without Wiley pp 99 104 ISBN 978 0 471 16511 8 Retrieved 9 May 2008 Ramer Holly Velcro s video implores consumers to say hook and loop USA TODAY Retrieved 3 January 2024 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Velcro nbsp Look up velcro in Wiktionary the free dictionary Official website Original 1955 patent from Google Patents Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Velcro amp oldid 1193343208, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
