We set out to fill a void in the kitchen apparel market. Traditional chef jackets are boxy, difficult to move in, and made of chemically based materials. Dajoji coats are built for movement. They were designed to meet the demands of a professional kitchen with an athletic fit, comfort, style, and sustainable materials.

While cooking typical 14-hour days at a notable Chicago restaurant, Anthony Nicalo, tired of the uncomfortable, boxy, coats available to chefs, knew there had to be a way to create a chef coat that met the fast-paced demands of the professional kitchen.

After moving to Vancouver, Nicalo collaborated with ethical fashion designer Leanne McElroy to create kitchen performance apparel. Together, they made an organic cotton chef coat built for movement, with an athletic fit, a dash of style and lots of comfort.

Beyond the ties to local fashion with Elroy Apparel, Dajoji’s Vancouver roots extend to another clothier with its roots in a niche performance market, lululemon athletica.

Managing partner, Jessica Robinson, who used to work for the yoga juggernaut, brings not only the spirit, but the attention to detail required for the new eco-fashion niche of kitchen performance apparel.

"I love food and wine, which is how I met Anthony," explains Robinson. "But I never thought of crossing that with my love of, and education in, fashion. Kitchen apparel and chef coats in particular are truly in need of change and innovation."

The Farm-to-Hanger approach that Dajoji has adopted by working with farmers like the Texas Organic Cotton Farmers Cooperative, is ensuring that the cotton is grown sustainably. Conventionally grown cotton uses more insecticides than any other single crop and often uses the most hazardous pesticides. For chefs who don’t serve meat with antibiotics or vegetables with pesticides, finding a chef jacket not made with petro-chemicals has been a difficult task.

What does the name mean? Our logo was inspired by a modern windmill, connoting movement and sustainability. The name followed- Dajoji is the name of the Iroquois spirit of the western wind, a panther. Together, the logo and name convey what we make at Dajoji: modern, sustainable chef coats built for movement.