Duck Head is Back…Again

It appears that someone has decided to relaunch the brand Duck Head. Duck Head reminds me (and apparently others) of  5th and 6th grade just like a pair of Eastland mocs. I bet Duck Head is as nostalgic of that time as I am.

Another Duck Head reference I found while researching the brand,

“After all, it was the 1980s, Ronald Reagan was in the White House, God was making a comeback, and Duck Head khakis with heavily starched Polo shirts were the official uniform of campus life.”

 – Joe Scarborough
Extracted from Rome Wasn’t Burnt In A Day

The brand got its start in the early 20th century, but back then they were making work wear out of tent cloth. In the late 1980s they became a fashion brand creating the memorable Duck Head chinos that featured their signature mallard emblem. The chinos caught on in the south  (The Trad reflects here and here.). Bought out in ’85 the brand went national and continued to grow until the early nineties, but went bankrupt in 2005.
Duck Head Chinos                                                                           Picture from a College Trad.

They have been picked up and dropped again since then leaving me to wonder if that will be their destiny. It will be interesting to see what is in store for this once iconic southern chino company. According to the countdown clock on their homepage I won’t have to wait to find out as they are scheduled to launch on May 1st.

oxford cloth button down
Jerrod Swanton is a simple man interested in simple, classic, and traditional style.

3 Comments on "Duck Head is Back…Again"

  1. ylh says:

    Terrific news! I discovered Duck Head in 1990 when I moved to Oklahoma City to attend law school. Although I grew up and attended college in Missouri, it seems the brand never migrated that far north. Although my last pair had to be retired well over a decade ago, they were great, reasonably priced khakis and a staple of my casual wardrobe. I look forward to seeing whether the revival lives up to the legacy.

  2. Ryan says:

    I was curious about the brand after hearing all the praise they receive from southern preps…purchased a pair from Belk about 2 years and while I wasn’t disappointed, I wasn’t blown away either. I’ve heard Duckheads referred to as the poor man’s Bill’s Khakis, and hopefully this relaunch will come closer to that moniker.

  3. BRS says:

    Wore them all through college, they were cheap then, not terribly well made, but serviceable, and became really soft over time. Might pick up a pair for pure nostalgia, but doubt they’ll replace my better made pants, wonder how much they’ll be this time around?

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