Founding of HANDON dressed to sell

HANDON collaborates with major event and below-the-line agencies in Germany and internationally, and is recognized as one of the leading providers of custom-made promotional clothing and costumes.

Our first real office, complete with our own little in-house production setup. Right by the Cologne-Mülheim harbor. We were absurdly proud. We took over the space from what was, at the time, the very famous folk band The Kelly Family. And of course, exactly as you would expect from a proper band headquarters, the place needed some serious attention before it could function as an office again. Let’s just say it had seen things. The groupies who had camped out around the musicians’ headquarters for years, almost 24/7, didn’t disappear overnight. Even long after we moved in, they kept knocking on our office door, hoping to catch a glimpse of where their former idols had once lived and worked. Slightly confused when they found us instead. And every now and then, getting to work literally meant taking a rowing boat. Well, that’s what happens when you insist on having an office right next to the Rhine. Romantic in theory, mildly impractical in real life.

It all started with cool outfits for multi-brand promo teams, in every style, color, and combo you can imagine. But we didn’t stop there. We dressed up as walking Christmas trees, sent oversized Super Mario and Yoshi characters into crowds and supermarkets, and even unleashed a three-meter-tall, giant grinning orange monster straight out of a Punica Oasis juice ad. Honestly? There was nothing we wouldn’t try. Looking back, we’ll admit not every kid was thrilled to meet a towering fruit monster with huge teeth. But hey…it was a different time. And we had a blast.

We’ve mentioned it before, sometimes life has a funny way of surprising you. One day, the office door flew open and in strolled a young guy named Juergen W. A real character. He just wanted to say hello. “Hey, I’m the new director at the hotel next door. If you ever need a room…”

What none of us knew was that this casual moment would kick off an unforgettable journey through the world of international hospitality. Juergen is no longer with us, but this story still makes us smile. Telling it keeps his spirit close.

Thank you, J. | Dankeschön!

Well yeah, this is kind of what we signed up for. Back then, we were new to the hotel game, young, bold, and totally sure we could handle anything. No big deal, right? We got this. What no one told us, not that we would’ve listened, was that if you do a great job for one hotel in a chain, chances are the entire chain is going to want the same thing. Like, yesterday. And let’s just say, hotel managers aren’t exactly known for their chill. So yeah, we had to hustle. Hard. But with a team full of energy and big ideas, we made it happen. Long days, late nights, a lot of laughs, and somehow, we kept the whole show rolling.

There was no turning back now. Full speed ahead. A project involving over 200 hotels across the U.S. meant Frenk had to trade his beloved Rhineland for life on the other side of the Atlantic, for a while at least. Big names started calling. Things moved fast, really fast. Sparks were flying. Whether it was Russia, the Middle East, the north of Iceland, or deep in the Central African jungle, things were happening. Everywhere. Sometimes we could barely source fabrics fast enough or lock in reliable cut and make partners. But somehow, some way, it always worked out. Until it suddenly didn’t. Not only for us. The whole world seemed to hit pause. And yes, that was a strange feeling.

So much for “taking things slow from now on.” Yeah, right. As soon as the dust settled and the world started spinning again, boom, we were back at full speed. New challenges rolled in. A lot had changed. And so had we. Digitalization, AI, longer lead times, tricky sourcing, materials and people, became part of the daily grind in a world that seems to shift faster than you can count to three, at least that’s how it feels sometimes.

But here’s the thing, we’re still here. More importantly, we’re still here for our partners, clients and suppliers alike. Because if we hadn’t had each other’s backs when things got tight, well, let’s just say some of us might not be here today. But we are. And we’re not done yet. We love what we do. And we’re in it for the long run.