"downright shocked the fashion world"

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss-oddities/velcro-how-space-travel-paved-the-way-for-a-swiss-invention/89502374 > Author: Raaflaub (2025) > It was 1941 when George de Mestral, a 34-year-old electrical engineer from canton Vaud in western Switzerland, went hunting with his dog in the forest. Returning home, he was annoyed by the burdock seeds that had attached themselves to his dog and his clothes. > But they also aroused his interest: when he examined the seeds under a microscope, he realised that they don’t have spines but hundreds of tiny barbs, which made them stick to fabric and fur. > He spent years in his workshop trying to develop a mechanical fastening system based on the shape of the barbs and their textile counterparts. > He finally produced a prototype and submitted it for patenting in 1951 under the name “Velcro” – a combination of the French words velours (velvet) and crochet (hook). On March 16, 1954, he was granted the patent in Switzerland. > Nevertheless, most people back then still didn’t seem to trust Velcro. The fashion industry gave the invention the cold shoulder and the product flopped. “The fashionistas of the 1960s wanted nothing to do with it,” wrote the Smithsonian magazine. > “It was extremely useful, but also extremely ugly,” wrote US magazine Mental Floss, explaining that the only group that found it appealing was the burgeoning aerospace industry. > “Astronauts didn’t want to fiddle with zippers and laces while trying to get in and out of their spacesuits, and they also needed a way to keep their various personal items and food from floating away in zero gravity,” it said. > The astronauts also didn’t mind the “ratchet” sound when opening the fastener, which, according to various reports at the time, seems to have downright shocked the fashion world. > As a result, the Velcro fastener ended up playing a supporting role in the first moon landing on July 21, 1969, as did the Omega Speedmaster and the University of Bern’s solar sail. > The television reports showing, among other things, how the astronauts worked with Velcro generated enormous public interest worldwide. The system became synonymous with high-tech and reliability under extreme conditions. It was regarded as “space technology”, which was extremely fashionable at the time.

Its wonderful how people will do a complete 180 on a thing as soon as theyre told that its military grade or used in space.

Are we saying “fashionistas” think velcro is stylish and cool today??

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