It

It
was during a stint in a fine-dining restaurant that chef
Maxine Thompson grew weary of her uniform. She had just graduated
from the French Culinary Institute in New York, and found
herself in Tasmania,
cooking a ten-course tasting menu each night in a team of just
three. Working tireless hours wearing itchy, ill-fitting chef’s
trousers sparked an idea in the former fashion-design student who
noticed that, like her, most of her female peers were stuck wearing
unflattering kitchen clothing designed for men. “I just couldn’t
find any trousers that I liked to cook in.” Maxine explains. “They
were always hot and baggy. I started buying trousers from
high-street shops but the fabric would get wet and bleed all over
my chef’s whites. So I just started making my own.”

She grabbed some material and cobbled together a pair of soft,
high-waisted kitchen trousers – the first ever pair of Polka
Pants. “They were modelled on a pair of jeans that I found in a
thrift store in
Tasmania for about three dollars.” Maxine explains. “I
absolutely loved them.”

After Tasmania, Maxine moved to London, where she began meeting more female chefs,
cooks and caterers in need of better workwear. “I just got talking
to more girls about it and realised that we all had the same
problem.” She says. “That’s when I decided to make a go of it. I
got a really horrible corporate chef job to save money to launch
it, and then was experimenting with fabrics and fits in my spare
time.”

Polka Pants’ core range consists of three trouser styles –
black, houndstooth and the signature black-and-white polka dot in
light, breathable cotton. With a high waist, cropped ankle a gold
side-zip, each pair is designed to reflect the style of the 1940s
Utility Scheme, which championed simple, functional clothing made
to last. They are supple, figure-hugging and, frankly, damn stylish
– as at home in the kitchen as they are on the dance floor. Trust
us. That 3% elastic goes a long way.

Since launching eight months ago, Polka Pants has set off as
many ripples in the fashion world as it has in the food industry.
Publications like The Telegraph, The Observer and The Guardian have
sung the praises of these revolutionary trews, while Vogue named
them “The Most Stylish Chef’s Pants Ever.”

We paid Maxine a visit in her Hackney studio, where material
swatches hang beside press clippings of loyal Polka Pants fans –
culinary stars like Gizzie Erskine, Lily Jones and Olia Hercules.
She hands us a sample of the newest design, a pristine white pair
with the bold Polka Pants label stitched onto the back. She tells
us a few cheffing tales from her past, recalling the time she
“splattered pig’s blood all over the basement of a restaurant”
while making black pudding, and on another occasion “dropped a vat
of freshly made gnocchi on the floor” minutes before service began.
It was then, perhaps, that a good pair of trousers might have been
needed most.

Polka Pants has come about just in the nick of time, as the food
world does away with the old school mentality of macho, male
dominated kitchens.
Women are storming the industry, with more female chefs, food
writers and food culinary entrepreneurs than ever before.
Particularly in the capital, where Maxine’s one-woman venture has
been embraced. “Food here has really taken off in the last three or
four years. It’s become the trendiest thing.” She tells us. “I
don’t think this could have worked anywhere else. The London food
scene is the perfect platform. It’s an absolutely phenomenal place
to be at the moment.” That said, Maxine is working hard to stretch
her trousers further afield. “It’s great being on people’s radars
in London,” She says. “But the challenge is extending the reach
further. What about a woman who owns a deli in Manchester, or a
cook in Cornwall? That’s what I’m
focusing a lot of time on at the moment.”

With a rapidly changing and diversifying food industry, it seems
(well) fitting that female cooks finally have the opportunity to
wear something cool and comfortable in the kitchen. “There’s a lot
of talk about women in the industry surrounding Polka Pants. That’s
a really nice thing that has just come naturally.” Maxine remarks.
“There’s a network of support being created that we haven’t really
had in London before. It feels good to be able to play some part in
encouraging that.”