About DUC

Business ideas often come in the strangest of places, but rarely they come whilst driving on a dirt track on a moped on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam – but DUC did. Ian, one of the company’s founders was on a routine factory visit when he was propositioned by the owner of the factory to sell backpacks in Europe that the factory would produce. Ian laughed off the idea, after all his background was in furniture design and manufacture and he knew nothing about the industry. While travelling back to his hotel on a dirt road (probably lost) he couldn’t shift the idea of backpacks. This was probably because Anne-Marie, the company’s other founder, did a fund raiser for the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation where they bought school kits for children who couldn’t afford the essentials to return to school. Ian then had the idea that if they sold backpacks and for every sale they would donate a school kit to a child in need in Vietnam they would be able to offer a sustainable supply to the foundation while also creating a business. The name DUC, pronounced like duck, comes from the Vietnamese giáo dục which means education and represents the companies pledge in supporting children’s charities for a better future. DUC expanded its collection over the years and partnered with Laura Lynn Ireland’s Children’s Hospice and donates 15% of every sale of their Jr bags to the hospice. In 2020 DUC launched their first Eco polyester which is made entirely from recycled plasticRead their story