Hi there! We’re Jake and Alina, founders of Duckies, an Australian children’s footwear brand inspired by our search for the perfect shoe for our little girl. As parents on the Gold Coast, we started Duckies in 2021, setting out to bring something unique to the Australian market—a baby shoe designed to nurture those all-important first steps.

Our journey began when we were looking for a pair of shoes for our one-year-old. We wanted something that was gentle on tiny, growing feet but durable and flexible enough to support her newfound steps. When we found a perfect pair—a thick-knit shoe with a flexible sole—it was only available overseas. Determined to bring this style to Australia, we decided to embark on the journey of redeveloping and working closely with our chosen factory to produce the best version.

Being new to the world of footwear, we thought the process would be straightforward. But as we soon learned, bringing our vision to life was far from simple! We spent months working with multiple factories, tweaking samples, and striving to meet Australian standards for children’s footwear.

This process is ever evolving as we continue to take on feedback from our valued community of parents, grandparents and of course, your little ones. Therefore, Duckies is in a constant state of improvement and moving further away from any replicas that pop up on the market.

Finally, after countless rounds of revisions, we found a factory that not only delivered the quality we sought but also met our high standards for safety, cleanliness, and ethical practices. We even flew to China ourselves to inspect the facility and personally ensure that every aspect of production was aligned with our values.

In 2022, we officially launched Duckies online. It was such an exciting moment for our family! In the beginning, we packed all our orders ourselves right from our spare room. With both of us balancing full-time jobs and parenting a one-year-old, it quickly became too much to handle at home. So, we moved our stock to a shared warehouse in Burleigh Heads, right here on the Gold Coast.

Our stock is still stored in Burleigh, shipping out orders daily & our wonderful customer service agent, based in Byron Bay, NSW, works remotely to answer queries and take care of any requests first thing each morning.

From our family to yours, thank you for choosing Duckies and supporting Aussie bussiness. We’re so proud to offer families children’s shoes that are designed to nurture and celebrate the joy of walking—one tiny, confident step at a time.