Manufacturer · Fashion & Home Accessories
What is Velcro? It is a fastening made of two textile tapes: one is covered with small stiff hooks and the other with a soft layer of loops. When the two are pressed together, the hooks catch on the loops and form a strong bond that separates with a single pull. The generic English name is hook and loop fastener; in Bulgarian it is also colloquially called “lepka”.
Where the name Velcro comes from
Velcro was invented by the Swiss engineer George de Mestral. According to the well-known story, the idea came to him after a walk with his dog, when he noticed how stubbornly burdock burrs clung to the dog’s fur and to his clothes. Under a microscope he saw that the burrs ended in tiny hooks. After years of experiments with different materials, he patented the fastening in the 1950s.
The name comes from the French words velours (velvet) and crochet (hook). Velcro is a registered trademark, but in everyday language the word is used for all hook and loop tapes, much like “zipper” or “Xerox”. In Bulgarian the spellings “velkro” and “velkyro” both occur – “velkro” is the more common.
What is Velcro: how the mechanism works
The mechanism is simple but very effective:
- The hook part is stiff and rough. The hooks are made of synthetic monofilament, usually polyamide or polyester, shaped into small hooks.
- The soft (loop) part is covered with thousands of small loops of fine threads.
- When pressed together, a large number of hooks enter the loops at the same time and catch.
- When peeled apart, the hooks straighten slightly and release one by one, which is why the tape separates with its characteristic sound.
The strength of the bond depends on the contact area, the density of hooks and loops, the direction of load and the cleanliness of the tapes. Hook and loop is strongest in shear – when the two tapes are pulled parallel to each other – and weakest when peeled from a corner.
Parts and terminology
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Hook / stiff part | The tape with hooks, sometimes called the “male” side |
| Loop / soft part | The tape with loops, sometimes called the “female” side |
| Hook and loop | The international generic name for the fastening |
| Back-to-back hook and loop | A tape with hooks and loops on both sides of one base |
| Self-adhesive hook and loop | Tape with adhesive on the back, no sewing |
| Lepka | The colloquial Bulgarian name for hook and loop tape |
What hook and loop tape is made of
The base of both tapes is a woven or knitted textile, most often polyamide (nylon) or polyester. Polyamide hook and loop is more flexible and withstands more opening and closing cycles. Polyester is more resistant to moisture and UV light, so it is suitable for outdoor use. For special applications other materials are used, such as flame-retardant or heat-resistant ones, but for clothing and accessories standard polyamide tapes are the most common.
Types of hook and loop
- Sew-on – the standard for clothing, footwear, bags and equipment.
- Self-adhesive – with adhesive on the back, for hard surfaces, packaging and household use.
- Back-to-back – for cable ties, straps and organisers.
- Soft hook and loop – with finer hooks for products that touch the skin.
- Elastic hook and loop – the loop part on an elastic base for bandages and orthoses.
- Hook and loop coins and dots – pre-cut shapes for quick fitting.
Where Velcro is used
Hook and loop is all around us, often without us noticing:
- children’s shoes and clothing, where fastening must be easy;
- cuffs, pocket flaps and jacket collars;
- workwear, uniforms and outdoor clothing, patch panels;
- medical and orthopaedic products – bandages, splints, belts;
- bags, backpacks, cases and organisers;
- sports equipment – gloves, protectors, ski and snowboard accessories;
- cable ties, insect screens, curtains and home textiles.
Hook and loop, zip or button
Hook and loop is not a substitute for every fastening but a solution for specific situations. A zip gives a tight, continuous closure and is more suitable for jackets and bags where the contents must not fall out. A button is classic and elegant but requires precision and two hands. Hook and loop wins where fastening has to be quick, adjustable and easy for everyone – for children, when wearing gloves, on medical products and on flaps that are opened often. Many products combine the two: a zip for the main closure and hook and loop on the flap above, which protects the zip from wind and rain.
How to recognise quality hook and loop
- the two parts grip immediately and evenly over the whole area;
- the tape edges are smooth and do not fray when cut;
- the hooks are uniform, with no crushed or missing areas;
- the soft part is dense, and the loops do not pull out easily with a fingernail;
- the colour is even along the whole roll.
Advantages and limitations
Hook and loop fastens with one hand, without precision or force, which makes it ideal for children, older people and situations with gloves. It is light, spreads the load over a large area and allows the circumference to be adjusted. The limitations are that over time the hooks collect lint and threads and the grip weakens, in the wash they catch other garments, and the sound when separating is not suitable for every product. That is why elegant garments more often use zips or buttons.
What to choose for your product
When choosing hook and loop, consider the width, the softness of the hook part, the colour, the fitting method (sewing or adhesive), the load and how often it will be washed. Details of widths and options can be found in the hook and loop category, and for other fastenings and tapes in the haberdashery section.
Hook and loop from Polkom
Polkom is a manufacturer of haberdashery and accessories for fashion, furniture, footwear and bags from Sofia with over 30 years of experience. We supply hook and loop tape in widths from 5 to 100 mm, as the two parts separately or as a set, in standard colours and to Pantone, with delivery across the EU. Send an inquiry via the contact page.
