What Are Eye Hooks?

Eye hooks are part of a hook-and-eye clothes fastener consisting of two separate parts that are each stitched onto a piece of fabric. One part has a tiny hook sewn on it and the other part has the eye, or loop, stitched on it. These two parts work together to close up an article of clothing by fastening the hook into the eye.

Hook and eye tape

These types of closures are made of small pieces of bent wire and usually come in groups to offer greater strength. Because of this, hook-and-eye tape is sold. It consists of two tapes, with the hooks on one and the eyes on the other. When the two tapes are sewn onto an article of clothing, the hooks and eyes connect together to fasten the two sides.

Uses on clothing

Hook-and-eye fasteners appear frequently on bras, corsets and other fancy undergarments. Originally, several hook-and-eye closures were used on bras to support the breasts, but now they are predominantly on the back closure. Also, a lot of dresses, skirts and pants with side or back zippers have hook-and-eye closures at the top of the zipper to hold it in place more securely.

History

Individuals in the United States began to patent this type of closure in the 19th century. E.C. Beecher patented his hook-and-eye closure to the United States government in 1900. In 1902, an updated version was patented. It consisted of a hook-and-eye that was attachable without any stitching required.

A hook-and-eye closure fastens clothing securely and is a very simple concept. This type of fastener has a long history and is still used today.