Breathable and Lightweight Chef Uniforms: The Material Guide

If you can’t take the heat...check the tag on your uniform. What’s it made of? This article will explore four different materials used to manufacture lightweight, comfortable, and durable chef uniforms.

Whether you work at a Michelin Three-Star restaurant or a fast-food joint, the temperature of your kitchen isn’t usually within your control. Your internal temperature, on the other hand? Now that is much more customisable.  The fabrication of your chef’s clothing will make a huge difference in how your body processes the heat and how comfortable you feel during service.

There are two factors you need to consider when choosing a chef uniform; breathability, and ventilation. Keep reading to find out how to evaluate your next uniform for maximum comfort. 

Breathability

Breathability all comes down to the fabric. Does it feel soggy and laden with sweat and the end of a shift? Is it crumpled and sad?  The performance of your uniform is only as good as the material it’s made of. Let’s review look at the four we use most often.

• Polyester ·  Polyester gets a bad reputation for a reason — it doesn’t soak up moisture, so it’s very hot and sweaty to wear. For this reason, we don’t usually choose 100% polyester to create the most breathable chef’s jackets available.  However, it’s unmatchable in terms of durability — which we all know is crucial in the kitchen. Thus, polyester is usually blended with other fibre for maximum durability for the chef jacket.

• 100% Cotton · This fibre, on the other hand, is extremely lightweight and breathable — perhaps the most comfortable option. While we do make 100% cotton uniforms, and some chefs swear by them, they do get very wrinkled. If you work in an open kitchen situation or you regularly need to attend to table and talk to guests, this would not be the best choice for you.

• Polyester Blends — as known as Polycotton or CVC (Chief Value Cotton). These blends give us the best of both worlds where cotton provides breathability and polyester provides durability.

• GreenChef’s Polycotton — a blend of 35 percent cotton and 65 percent polyester. This blend is the perfect blend for Chefs who are looking for durability and breathability at the same time.

• GreenChef’s CVC —  the blend ration up to 55 percent cotton with only 45 percent polyester. Perfect for chefs who prioritise breathability and do not mind the slight thickness of fabric. Fabric is usually thicker with higher cotton blend due to the nature characteristic of cotton fibre.

• Polyviscose — as the name suggest, it is a blend of polyester and viscose. This is another combination fabric uniform manufacturer love to use. Viscose has properties of cotton, while still retaining its breathability and astonishing washing qualities with the blend of polyester. There’s a big catch, polyviscose does not have cotton content at all but it is soft on the touch.

• Bonus: Microfibre as known as Dri-Fit — we don’t manufacture entire uniforms out of this fabric, but we do strategically place it on some of our chef uniforms. This technological wonder fabric gets used in the places you sweat the most, keeping you cool and dry.

Ventilation

It’s not just about the fabric! The construction of the garment plays a big role in how comfortable, light, and airy it ultimately feels. The role of the fabric is to remove moisture, while the role of ventilation is to let cool air pass over skin.  Our lightweight chef uniforms come are sourced with high quality materials that let heat escape, helping you keep your cool at all times.

Stop sweating it, and get into one of our super-comfy, light and airy, breathable and well-ventilated uniforms. You won’t regret it — especially on laundry day.