The New Chef Attire: Quiet Confidence, Cotton Shirts, and the Ritual of Showing Up

There’s a ritual that begins before the apron is even tied.

You walk into the kitchen, nod to your crew, slide on your clogs, and grab your station towel. Before the food, before the fire, what you wear says a lot. Not to the guests, but to yourself and the people working alongside you.

Chef attire used to be a binary: coat or no coat. These days, it’s more nuanced. In many kitchens, especially the ones that prioritize creative freedom and a tight-knit team over fine-dining formality, the dress code is shifting. The chef coat hasn’t disappeared, but it’s no longer the only uniform that signals professionalism.

More and more cooks are showing up in something different: 100% cotton shirts, broken-in aprons, and quiet confidence.

From White Coats to Washed Cotton

Let’s be clear. The chef coat still has its place. It’s iconic, functional, and symbolic. But not every kitchen calls for it.

Some kitchens are more open and intimate. The kind of places where the chef greets the guests, where firewood lines the back wall, where prep happens at a wooden table and produce comes in from a farm down the road. In those spaces, the uniform evolves. For many chefs, a soft, breathable shirt feels more aligned with the work at hand.

There’s something about cotton that suits the pace of a modern kitchen. It breathes with you. It moves. It doesn’t trap heat or feel like armor. A well-made cotton shirt, especially one that fits right and wears in over time, becomes part of the rhythm.

Streetwear That Speaks Kitchen

Loqavore doesn’t make traditional chef gear. We're not in the business of coats with thermometer pockets or branded polos. But our shirts still find their way onto the line. Not by accident.

Our designs are rooted in food and in the people who grow it, cook it, and live by it. They're minimal, classic, and built with the same intention that goes into a tight mise or a perfectly seasoned broth. That’s why you’ll see our gear in kitchens that value clarity over chaos. The dress code in those places is more about mindset than marketing.

These aren’t uniforms. They’re what chefs and cooks reach for when they want to feel like themselves in and out of the kitchen.

The Unspoken Language of Detail

Cooks notice things. The way a spoon feels in your hand. The bounce of a cutting board. The difference between stiff fabric and something that breaks in like selvedge denim.

That’s the level of detail we bring to our pieces. Cotton that softens with wear. Fits that allow movement but don’t look sloppy. Colors that feel like stone, basil, smoke, and ice. Nothing too bright or plastic.

You might not think of a shirt as gear, but the right one works just as hard as you do. It handles heat, holds up to stains, and still lets you show up to a post-shift drink without looking like you got dressed in the stockroom.

Attire That Honors the Work

We dress with intention because we cook with intention.

When you care about the quality of your ingredients, your tools, and your process, it’s only natural to care about what you wear while doing it. Not out of vanity. Out of respect. For the work. For the team. For yourself.

Whether you’re behind the pass, prepping at the farm table, or plating for friends at home, you deserve to feel grounded in what you wear.

If that resonates with you, we hope you’ll check out our collection. No screaming logos. Just cotton, care, and clothes that fit the life you’re already living.