OPINION

REX NELSON: Bringing back Duxbak

My hunting clothes are so old that my friends like to say the camouflage went out of style and then came back in again. My father owned a sporting-goods store for more than 50 years, and one of his best-selling brands of hunting apparel was Duxbak. I have a Duxbak coat and vest that I've been using for decades.

Scott Perry of Little Rock smiles as I tell him that story over breakfast. Perry joined forces with his twin brother Jason in the 1990s to create the McAlister brand of upscale sporting apparel. McAlister pants, shirts, hats, coats and sweaters gained a solid following in this part of the country. The brothers sold the brand to Drake Waterfowl of Olive Branch, Miss. Drake eventually stopped using the McAlister name.

"I was 26 years old with no real business experience when we began McAlister," Perry says. "But my brother and I knew what we wanted to do. We wanted to revive that old Duxbak style. We knew there was a market for it."

For most of the 20th century, sportsmen could rely on clothing from the Utica Duxbak Corp. of Utica, N.Y. The brand's motto was "Sheds Water Like a Duck's Back." In a 1908 magazine ad, Duxbak promoted its waterproofing method known as the Priestly Cravenette Process. The ad said: "The only hunting garments giving thorough comfort in all weathers. Soft as chamois and tailored to a perfect fit. Duxbak sportsmen's clothing allows perfect ventilation, insures long, hard wear and a dressy appearance under all conditions. Fit and waterproof qualities guaranteed. Two colors only--light tan and olive green."

For men, Duxbak offered hunting coats, long trousers, Norfolk jackets, knickerbockers, riding trousers, caps, hats and vests. For women, there were hunting coats, Norfolk jackets, divided skirts, plain skirts, bloomers, leggings and hats that were advertised as "suitable for gunning, fishing, riding, tramping, boating or climbing."

In 1899, businessman Quentin McAdam formed the Utica Knitting Co., which soon was among the country's largest knitting mills. Albert Jones was a business partner. Jones teamed up with Jesse Bird, a veteran manufacturer who came up with the Duxbak name, and Harry Kenyon to begin producing canvas hunting clothes in 1903. The company was incorporated in 1904 as Bird, Kenyon & Jones. In addition to the Duxbak brand, they produced sporting clothes under the Kamp-It label and overalls under the Padlock label. Jones later bought out his business partners and changed the company's name to Utica Duxbak Corp. in 1916.

Duxbak contracted with the Army during World War II and promoted existing lines as being suitable for shipbuilders and those working in airplane plants. The duck mascot was introduced in 1954, and the stylized duck logo came along in 1969. Duxbak coats were passed down from fathers to their sons. Teddy Roosevelt was photographed hunting and fishing in Duxbak clothes.

By 1986, the family-owned business was facing financial problems and was sold to Holland Apparel of Georgia. Walls Industries bought the brand in the early 1990s and continued limited production. Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Co. of Fort Worth, the maker of Dickies workwear, purchased the Duxbak brand in 2013 and phased it out without any public announcement. Meanwhile, the Perry brothers became fans of a pants brand known as Bill's Khakis and formed their own brand, Mountain Khakis.

"We fell in love with Wyoming, and my brother moved to Jackson Hole," Perry says. "We based the company out of there as we came up with a business plan. We finally found investors in Charlotte, N.C., and launched the brand in 2003 with almost 1,000 retailers nationwide."

Perry, 48, sold his share in 2004 and spent the next decade in real estate with a firm that specializes in farms, timberland and hunting clubs. In 2013, Perry contacted Walls Industries to see if he could buy the rights to the Duxbak brand. When Williamson-Dickie bought the brand, Perry talked with their executives. A licensing deal was signed in early 2016.

"I love the Duxbak brand and the story behind it," Perry says. "Sportsmen identified with it. Our goal is to make it what it once was. We want to be known as more than a brand for duck hunters. We'll venture into extremely high-quality lifestyle apparel."

Perry and his brother, both of whom went to high school in Monticello and college at Arkansas State University, were determined to sell American-made products.

They've had problems finding dependable producers in an era when American clothing manufacturing has declined. They found one manufacturer in Tennessee and another in Texas. They've launched the brand with shirts, jackets, hunting vests and caps at about 15 retailers in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Arkansas dealers include Mack's Prairie Wings at Stuttgart, McSwain's in North Little Rock, Fort Thompson Sporting Goods in Sherwood, and White River Supply at Augusta.

The brothers' business plan states: "Duxbak is one of America's most iconic and nostalgic outdoor brands. It has been described as the first outdoor clothing brand in America, and most avid sportsmen over the age of 40 likely owned a Duxbak product at some point in their life or remember their elders owning a Duxbak product. In today's crowded outdoor marketplace, Duxbak is the one brand that has the ability to immediately gain notice and respect."

The Perry brothers are convinced that Duxbak could be the next great Arkansas business success story.

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Senior Editor Rex Nelson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He's also the author of the Southern Fried blog at rexnelsonsouthernfried.com.

Editorial on 12/13/2017

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