We didn’t set out to make a pink T-shirt. In fact, this collection originally began with something completely different - a sea green striped T-shirt that paired neatly with our zip-up short dungarees. It felt safe, familiar and in keeping with previous Ducky Zebra collections. But something didn’t feel quite right.
Around the same time, I found myself thinking back to a moment years earlier, when I was shopping for trainers with my then four-year-old son. He spotted a bright pink pair and instantly loved them. My reaction caught me off guard. Not because I believed there was anything wrong with pink trainers, but because I hesitated at all.
We bought them, of course. He wore them proudly and barely gave it another thought. But I kept thinking about why a colour could still feel so loaded for boys in a way it often doesn’t for girls. And slowly, those two things - the T-shirt design sitting on our rail, and that small moment in the shoe shop - started to connect.
That’s when we changed direction. Instead of the sea green stripes, we created our coral pink T-shirt featuring a zebra and puffin sailing together in a boat-shaped pocket. A small design detail on the surface, but one that felt meaningful to us for lots of reasons.
Why colour still matters in kids’ clothing
At Ducky Zebra, we’ve mostly worked with blues, greens, reds and yellows over the years. Not because we don’t love other colours, but because, as a small independent brand, every decision has to work hard. Like many businesses, we’ve sometimes played it safe. But as we move into our fifth year, we’ve been reflecting more on the quiet messages children absorb through clothing, toys and colour.
Girls are often offered a wide range of colours without much discussion. Boys, on the other hand, are still more likely to be steered away from shades like pink or purple. It rarely happens in a loud or obvious way. More often, it’s small comments, assumptions, hesitations or jokes that build up over time. And children notice all of it.
The colour double standard
A survey previously conducted by Ducky Zebra highlighted just how strong these colour expectations still are. It found that 96% of respondents were likely to buy blue trainers for girls, while only 20% said the same for pink trainers for boys. Around 26% said they would be highly unlikely to buy pink for boys at all.
What’s interesting is that many people recognised the stereotype and disagreed with it - yet still felt influenced by it in practice. That tension feels familiar to lots of parents. There’s often an unspoken sense that girls wearing “boyish” colours is acceptable, while boys wearing traditionally feminine colours may attract comments or teasing. As one respondent put it: “Generally I think presenting your daughter as a ‘bit of a tomboy’ is more socially acceptable than presenting your son as effeminate.” And that’s really the heart of it. Not the colour itself, but the assumptions attached to it.
Why these small things matter
Children aren’t born believing pink is “for girls” or blue is “for boys”. Those ideas are learned surprisingly early through everyday experiences - clothes, books, toys, advertising, conversations and the reactions they see around them.
By the time many children start school, those patterns can already feel quite fixed. Which is why these small moments matter more than we sometimes realise. Not because every child should wear pink, but because children deserve the freedom to explore colour, interests and self-expression without unnecessary limits being placed on them.
Our coral pink organic cotton kids’ T-shirt
This is where our new T-shirt comes in. It’s part of our ongoing commitment at Ducky Zebra to create thoughtful, practical clothing that feels open to all children. It’s soft, comfortable and designed for everyday play, with a small boat pocket that adds a bit of fun without defining who the T-shirt is “meant” for.
Because ultimately, that’s the point for us. It isn’t about making a grand statement. It’s about widening the choices available to children and gently challenging the idea that certain colours, prints, interests or qualities belong more naturally to one gender than another.
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