George de Mestral patented Velcro in 1955 after studying burrs that clung to his clothing and his dog’s fur.
The fastening system uses two surfaces: one covered with tiny hooks and another covered with loops. When pressed together, the hooks catch the loops; pulling the surfaces apart releases them. De Mestral developed the idea in the 1940s and named it from the French words for velvet and hook.
Velcro is a brand name, while the general technology is called hook-and-loop fastening. It is used in clothing, shoes, medical supports, luggage, sports equipment, and spacecraft. A common mix-up is calling every hook-and-loop fastener “Velcro” even when it is made by another manufacturer.
The invention’s burr-inspired design is a classic example of biomimicry: solving an engineering problem by observing a structure found in nature.