What’s Up With the Name “Style Falcon” Anyway?

“Style Falcon?” people say to me about this company. “That’s an interesting name.” 

Sure is. I’d like to tell you about it.

When I was trying to come up with a name for this sewing pattern business, I had a few rules in mind:

• No puns based on sewing terms. I mean, they’re cute, but they’ve been done, and it’s just not me anyway.
• No sewing terms at all, in fact. Style Falcon is about empowerment through creativity. And I may want to get into manufacturing some day.
• Nothing gendered. Style Falcon patterns are for a body type, and I may want to create patterns for other body types some day.

I turned to nature for inspiration. I love birds, so maybe a bird-themed name would work?

I Googled various bird themes and motifs, and something struck me. There are a lot - and I mean A LOT - of negative mash-ups of women and birds.

The ancient Greeks and Romans spun myths about harpies - monsters with the heads of beautiful maidens and the bodies of rapacious birds of prey. A harpy today is a very disagreeable woman.

And then there are the sirens, whose beautiful songs drove sailors to crash their boats into rocks. What did the sailors see when they emerged from their shipwrecks? More bird-women hybrids, also hideous to behold. Today’s siren is a woman who tempts a man to a bad end.

In modern times, we have these gems:

• A “henpecked” man has a demanding wife.
• A “goose” is a silly woman.
• A “chick” is a sexually attractive young woman.
• A “bird” is impolite British slang for “girlfriend.” 
• A “biddy” is a gossipy old woman.

I could go on. 

What if I turned this on its head? I thought of the British naturalist Helen Macdonald’s award-winning book “H Is for Hawk,” in which she trained a goshawk for hunting. Unlike many birds, female hawks are stronger and larger than the males. They are sharp and beautiful and powerful. All things I wanted my brand to be.

So “Style Falcon” it is. Maybe it was a dumb name for a sewing pattern business, but I like it.

The Style Falcon mascot is named Mabel, after Helen Macdonald’s goshawk. I am training her to cut out fabric for me.

And in the Style Falcon logo you can see how the negative space from Mabel’s wings suggests a traditionally feminine sweetheart neckline. We have a soft side, too.

Thanks for reading!