FALKN Was Never Meant To Be A Brand
Many people will discover FALKN as a streetwear brand.
Some may discover it through a story, a piece of music, or a message shared by the community.
The truth is that FALKN is much older than any hoodie, website or product.
The name has existed since at least 2013.
Back then, FALKN was not a company.
It was not a clothing brand.
It was not a business.
It was a gaming clan.
What started as a clan would eventually become something much bigger.
But back then, nobody knew that yet.
The name came from my old gaming name, „Thomas_von_Falken“. When the game only allowed five characters for clan tags, it became FALKN.
At the time, I had no idea that the name would still be part of my life more than a decade later.
What mattered to me back then still matters today:
To build something I can stand behind with my own name.
World of Tanks
Before FALKN Became A Brand
World of Tanks is an online multiplayer game where millions of players from around the world command historic tanks and battle against each other. At first glance, it is a game about strategy, teamwork, and intense combat. But for many players, it became much more than that.
Over the years, friendships were built, rivalries emerged, and communities grew. Players formed clans, organized events, and spent countless hours fighting side by side. Success rarely belonged to a single player. Victory depended on trust, communication, and the ability to work together as a team.
It was in this world that the name FALKN was born in 2013.
Back then, FALKN was not a company, a clothing brand, or a website. It was a clan. A name that brought people together, creating a small community built around shared experiences, teamwork, and respect.
Looking back, World of Tanks was the starting point of a much bigger journey. Not because of the tanks or the battles, but because of the people behind them. The values that define FALKN today—community, respect, loyalty, and belonging—were already there long before the first product, logo, or idea of a brand ever existed.
What began as a clan eventually became something more.
The name remained.
The vision grew.
And the journey continues.
Life On Construction Sites
After finishing my apprenticeship as a bricklayer, I stayed with the company for a while and learned many different areas of construction.
Because it was a small company, I wasn’t limited to one specific task. I worked on everything from groundworks and foundations to plastering, drywall and interior finishing. Every project was different, and every day brought new challenges.
Later, I moved between several construction companies. Some were great places to work, others less so. But each one taught me something different about the industry and the people who work in it.
At some point, I decided I no longer wanted to work for small construction companies. I joined a medium-sized company with around one hundred employees.
That was a completely different world.
In smaller companies, the goal was simple: build the house.
In larger companies, the goal was: build the house — and finish it on time.
Processes were optimized. Schedules were tighter. Expectations were higher. The pressure was greater.
I spent the next ten years working in that environment and learned what it means to deliver quality under demanding conditions.
After moving to a new region, I changed companies once again and joined the company where I still work today.
I started as a mobile crane operator and later worked as a machine operator for a wide range of equipment including excavators, dumpers, rollers, wheel loaders and cranes.
The more experience I gained, the more responsibilities followed.
Eventually, I remembered the knowledge and experience I had built over the years and decided it was time for the next step.
I began the journey to become a certified construction foreman.
From Foreman To Founder
Before I could become a certified construction foreman, there was another challenge waiting for me.
One of the requirements was obtaining a trainer certification. It was completely unfamiliar territory. Suddenly I was learning about leadership styles, communication, employee development and responsibilities that I had never formally studied before.
At the time, I thought I already knew how I wanted to lead people. The training showed me there was much more to leadership than I had realized.
After passing the certification, I spent around six months in full-time foreman school.
I was 45 years old.
Many of my classmates were younger, and returning to school after decades on construction sites was far from easy.
The biggest surprise was realizing that being good at construction work and managing a construction site are two very different things.
I expected to learn things I already knew from years of experience.
Instead, almost everything was new.
I learned project planning, scheduling, cost calculations, workforce management, machine utilization, material planning, quality control and documentation.
For months, I studied subjects that had never been part of my daily work before.
It was challenging.
But after successfully completing the final exams, I returned to my company and received my first projects as a construction foreman.
Everything changed.
Before, someone would tell me:
„Build a wall three meters long and 2.6 meters high.“
Now I was responsible for organizing the materials, planning the workforce, documenting the site and coordinating with project managers, clients, suppliers, architects, engineers and specialist consultants.
Something Never Left My Mind
Years earlier, the tool I used most often was a hammer.
Now it was a phone and a pen.
Yet throughout all those years, one feeling never completely disappeared.
I was always building according to someone else’s plans.
Working toward someone else’s deadlines.
Helping someone else achieve their vision.
And slowly I realized something.
That was not what I wanted for the rest of my life.
I wanted to create something I could stand behind with my own name.
Something that reflected my own ideas, my own values and my own vision.
Years later, that desire would become FALKN.
What Do I Hope FALKN Becomes?
The biggest dream behind FALKN is not success.
Not reach.
Not revenue.
The dream is simpler.
Years ago, I had to let FALKN go.
Today, I have the opportunity to build something of my own again.
Not just a brand.
Not just clothing.
But something that lasts.
A place built on respect.
A place where people feel welcome.
A place where stories matter.
Maybe FALKN will stay small.
Maybe it will grow far beyond what I imagine today.
I honestly do not know.
What I do know is this:
Years from now, I want to be able to look at FALKN and say:
„I built this with my own hands. And I am proud of what it stands for.“
