The Legend of Duck Rubber (About)

Duck Rubber Clothing Company Story

Growing up, rubber ducks were always around — tucked into gift bags, popping up in unexpected places, and occasionally used as harmless pranks. Even today, they still have a way of making people smile.

As I got older, life (and wardrobes) changed. T-shirts and swim trunks — ready to float a river at a moment’s notice — slowly gave way to pants and dress shirts. During a college reunion guys’ trip, a late-night conversation sparked around a simple idea: most polo shirts are boring. They rarely show personality, character, or style.

That conversation was forgotten…for a while.

Years later, while exploring apparel opportunities, that memory resurfaced. I started reaching out to manufacturers to produce polos on demand, but quickly ran into a problem: anything with real quality and a decent fit was far outside a reasonable price point.

So, I tried a different approach — starting small.

By producing a limited number of shirts, I could focus on quality first. I partnered with a manufacturer who values craftsmanship above all else. You can always find cheaper shirts, but they often don’t fit right and rarely survive beyond the first few wears.

Next came design.

I knew I didn’t want run-of-the-mill polos. (Yes, solid colors and custom business polos are coming — many customers have asked — but design matters.) Every shirt needed to reflect a mindset:
Professional Enough for the Office. Whimsical Enough for Life. 

Something you could wear confidently at work and just as easily out to dinner, traveling, or with family.

At the time, no polos featured rubber ducks, so the first demo shirt leaned into that childhood nostalgia — a subtle nod to fun without sacrificing professionalism.

When the demo finally arrived months later, it hit the mark. Still, I hesitated. The shirt definitely stood out, and a few naysayers dismissed it as a “dumb duck shirt” (boo to them).

Instead of overthinking it, I wore it.

Something unexpected happened. People started stopping me — at the office, at lunch, in airports, out with friends — to tell me they liked my shirt. That had never happened to me  before. And it didn’t stop.

That’s when Duck Rubber Clothing Company was born — or better yet, hatched.

Duck Rubber's Promise

Quality comes first. I still wear my original Duck Rubber polo almost every week. It’s been washed countless times, survived spills and stains, and still looks like it did during the first week. (Cold weather has me exploring pullovers next.)

Here’s my guarantee:
Wear a Duck Rubber shirt, and you’ll receive a compliment within the first few wears. You might also get asked about Jeeps, Swimming or Cruising as well. 

More importantly, you — or the person you gift it to — will stand a little taller, feel a little more confident, and look really good doing it.*

Hope you’ll join the flock.

Thomas