In 1941, a Swiss engineer named George de Mestral returned from a hunting trip in the Alps to discover pesky burrs covering his wool clothing and snarling his dog’s fur. Noting how tenaciously these burrs clung to his socks and pants, de Mestral examined a few of them under a microscope and saw how their barbed hooks meshed with the looped fibers of his clothing. Determined to replicate this “hook and loop” binding, he went to work developing the fasteners that would later be known around the world as Velcro.

Although Velcro is everywhere today, de Mestral originally had a difficult time convincing people that his invention had merit. Developing the right components and mechanizing the production process took ten years, and de Mestral showed remarkable dedication to stick with his product and overcome each setback. The first patent for Velcro was finally awarded in 1955, but it would still be years before Velcro truly caught on and became common in the textile industry.

The company’s big break came when NASA began using Velcro for their space suits and the practical uses for the fasteners became more apparent. It gradually became more mainstream and is now found on everything from jackets to car interiors. And NASA has remained a loyal customer, using Velcro on their modern space shuttles.

George de Mestral took an annoying collection of burrs and developed them into something positive. Velcro has helped astronauts reach the moon and millions of children to fasten their shoes, demonstrating the power of an original idea. Professional Marketing International understands the importance of original thinking in business and strives to help their clients develop the skills necessary to reach their goals. You don’t have to be a Swiss engineer to have brilliant ideas and the PMI Education curriculum is designed to accentuate the unique attributes of individual students. This recognition of the creative abilities of others is what led De Mestral to reportedly tell his company executives, “If any of your employees ask for a two-week holiday to go hunting, say yes.”