Utilitarian pants, well worn shirts, collarless jackets and functional clogs may not seem like the most obvious aesthetic but according to industry experts, it’s a lewk. The chef aesthetic used to be a sort of signal, a sign that someone had just finished an exhausting service and wanted nothing but a cheap beer, a crate to sit on, and a cigarette. But all that is changing thanks to the new trend. Given popular culture’s obsession with watching anything food-related from shows like The Bear and Chef’s Table, to blockbusters like 2014s Chef, the critically acclaimed Boiling Point (and upcoming tv series), and the darkly comedic The Menu, our appetite is clear. Hell, even Anthony Bourdain travelling the world rocking messy hair and a t-shirt has become iconic.

The chefcore aesthetic is ostensibly about function over form, and to the layman, it may seem a total contradiction to what passes for ‘fashion’. Yet, we’ve seen this trend growing with brands like McDonalds teaming up with Peter Alexander, and London’s Service Works selling their line with the slogan “Designed for Chefs, adapted for all.” Australian-born designer Maxine Thompson released PolkaPants for women in kitchens to great effect. Closer to home, Sydney’s own Bar Planet has been pushing their merch and you can get the look with a t-shirt in a can from Continental Deli. It was only a matter of time. We’ve always been drawn towards gritty subcultures. Whether it’s mods and rockers fighting it out in the 60s, grunge capsule outfits at Walmart in the 90s, or whatever the heck is going on over on WitchTok; if it’s edgy we want it. To get some insights, delicious. had a chat with Head of Brand at GQ, Charlie Calver.

“Look no further than The Bear. When the show was released in the middle of last year, the world was primed for another chef-obsessed cycle. Naturally, everyone fell in love with the fast-talking, stressed-out Jeremy Allen White and his band of sandwich-slinging Chicagoans. But, in the fashion world, everyone was also perfectly primed to transition to ‘chefcore’ off the back of the resurgence of workwear. For the past few years, vintage Carhartt jackets, double-knee painter pants and distressed white t-shirts have been in the spotlight everywhere from Austin Butler and Jacob Elordi’s backs, to the streets of Australia’s cities – and skaters, often the earliest adopters of trends, have been wearing them for decades. ‘Chefcore’ [is] an extension of that trend.”

“Actually, no. Many of the staples that we see in fashion today started as functional garments before becoming mainstream. Jeans were made for workers before the cool kids in the ’50s co-opted them. Sneakers were made for athletes before everyone realised they were both more comfortable and more stylish than hard-bottomed leather boots. Especially for men, people want to feel like they are being something practical that will last for a long time, and more often than not, that ‘purpose’ tells a story and ultimately makes the piece more fashionable.”

“This is a tricky one and a question that has arisen plenty in discussions around ‘workwear stolen valour.’ In almost every stylish person’s wardrobe sits something that was originally designed to be worn for a certain job or role in society. For example, it could be a tracksuit – originally designed for professional athletes – but having that item isn’t a problem. Now, if your concern is that, unlike athletes, hospitality professionals are notoriously underpaid and exploited, I would argue that rather than decrying someone wearing a pair of non-slip leather Birkenstocks and a white t-shirt, you should start advocating for real change in the industry that helps uplift small businesses and the people they employ.”