On a recent trip to Epcot, we went to Innoventions West and stumbled upon an entire show devoted to Velcro.  One of the first things we learned was that Velcro is a brand name and the generic name for this type of closure is hook and loop.  Given the widespread use of hook and loop in today’s cloth diapers, I was extremely interested to learn its history. 

George de Mestral, the inventor of hook and loop, often went hiking with his dog.  After returning from several trips to find his dog covered in cockleburrs, he was intrigued by the science behind what made the burrs stick.  He spent the next eight years studying both the burrs and his dog’s hair under a microscope and found that the burr’s hooks stuck in the hair loops.  In 1955 he was granted the patent for his hook and loop closure.

Velcro Hooks and Velcro Loops

Velcro is the name of de Mestarl’s companies and a registered trademark in most countries.  It is the brand name for the hook and loop closures made by these companies.  However, much like Kleenex is to tissue, the name Velcro is used to describe all hook and loop closures.  Another brand, Aplix, is also commonly used in today’s cloth diapers.     

Do you love your cloth diapers with hook and loop or are you a snap fan?  Please share your preference by Commenting.

Historical facts confirmed on Velcro.  Photos licensed under the CC-by-SA License and taken by Flickr user olivepixel.

Kristy de Gregory is the owner of Wee Willie Winks and the Web Editor/Publisher of Cloth Diaper News.  Her love of cloth diapering began in 2005 with the birth of her son.