Dooney and Bourke started in 1975 when Peter Dooney & Frederic Bourke launched their namesake in South Norwalk, Connecticut. The duo started off with two introductory products: surcingle belts which were popular due to their unique, vibrant colors and stripes and classic suspenders. The rest of their history follows:

In 1981 Dooney and Bourke branched out into the handbag business with the release of the Tack Case and the Equestrian Bag, both made from bridle leather. Along with their original distributors such as Nordstrom, Brooks Brothers, and Saks Fifth Avenue, they opened The Company Store in Norwalk, Conn., which sold among other things Dooney and Bourke Merchandise.

In 1983, with the development of their famous All-Weather Leather (AWL), the first AWL handbag collection was released featuring the unmistakable duck logo with the russet leather trim.

In 2006/2007, the creation of the "Emma Bag," a small oval sized bag named after Emma Roberts.

In 2007, a new handbag design, from actress Hayden Panettiere, star of the NBC hit show Hayden was given the opportunity to design her dream bag with Peter Dooney.