Georges de Mestral's Hook and Loop
A roll of black VELCRO hook and loop

The Christmas season lends itself to vivid, lifelong memories. Making lists of gifts to buy, searching for great deals, and trying to find the perfect gift for everybody on my list has led to so many fun experiences. There was the year I found a first edition of a friend’s favorite book at a yard sale for a quarter. I've also had great luck with eBay and Etsy in finding fantastic gifts.

A gorgeous chess set from the Middle East will probably always be the very best Christmas gift I ever received. A friend bought it from a street vendor on a trip to Jordan to visit his extended family. The hand-carved pieces are made of native wood that still holds the scent of the trees, and the white squares are mother-of-pearl. I've made a study of chess sets over the years, collecting unique sets and pictures of unusual sets made of interesting materials.

One of my all-time favorite chess photos was taken in space. The space shuttle has been home to so many amazing examples of innovation and creativity, and the ancient game of kings, chess, has been a favorite of our astronauts. How do they play chess in total weightlessness? With one of the twentieth century’s most creative examples of learning from the genius of nature: hook and loop. A normal chess set is fitted with VELCRO® brand fasteners on the bottom of each piece and the astronauts can play the greatest game on earth well above the earth.

The Beginning of VELCRO®

In 1941, Georges de Mestral, a Swiss engineer, invented the hook-and-loop fastener that would become known as VELCRO®. There are other variations on hook-and-loop fastening systems, but the VELCRO® brand has resulted in a genericized term, like the way we use Kleenex® as a synonym for "tissue." He got the idea from the burrs that kept sticking to his clothing and his dog’s fur after he took his canine buddy on hunting trips in the Alps. The burrs were such an annoyance to remove that he got the idea for a strong but reversible fastening system.

Hook and loop as a name for the fastening system is an accurate description. It’s a system where small hooks on one side grip the hooks on the other side, creating a reversible fastening system that’s strong enough for a 2-inch square to hold a 175-pound person.

The hook and loop fastening system took nearly twenty years to become a big success, but it’s now a permanent part of American life. VELCRO® is used in the space shuttle for all kinds of storage and daily life in weightlessness. Because it’s strong and reliable but easier to manipulate than laces or zippers, hook and loop is used to help facilitate self-reliance and independence among the elderly, the disabled, and others who face special challenges to their dexterity. From the space shuttle to rehab hospitals to shoes for children too young to tie their own laces, VELCRO® brand hook and loop fasteners provide a strong and reliable system with myriad uses.

Country Brook Design offers VELCRO® brand hook and loop fasteners in bulk at great deals. With several sizes and colors to choose from, we can provide the Velcro style hook and loop fasteners for your home business, Christmas craft project, or any other need to keep things bonded!

VELCRO® is a registered trademark of Velcro Industries B. V.