Founded by friend and workwear mastermind Tom Chudley, South London’s Service Works was born out of a love for elasticated waists and good food. Their "Designed for Chefs, adapted for all" motto rings true by pairing traditional silhouettes with quality fabrics and fits creating timeless styles that offer industry-standard functionality with elevated comfortability that is suited for everyday life both in-and-out of the kitchen.
Ethical production and an affinity for eating well are at the forefront of Service Works’ ethos. Each product is made lovingly with their manufacturing partners in India, supporting talent within the garment industry alongside an on-going commitment to partnering with emerging restaurants that are disrupting the culinary landscape from the ground up and having a good time doing it. Relaxed cuts and workwear staples dominate Service Works’ offering which take cues from Tom’s childhood with references to skateboarding, hardcore and tongue-in-cheek humour sewed throughout.
From cookbooks to lookbooks, chicken shop to chicken parfait, Minor Threat to meatloaf - join us as we catch up with Tom to talk all things Service Works...
JCM: Whats up Tom!
TC: Yes Jack! Just the usual really.
JCM: I don’t think I’ve ever formally sat down and picked your brain on Service Works before, but I can remember hanging out with you in your old studio when it was just going from concept to reality…
TC: That must have been like a month before lockdown, I remember showing you the very first samples - they sucked! It was lucky I ended up with a lot of free time in the coming weeks to work on them haha. That was the first proper studio I had, it was so good! No windows, but it felt so legit at the time. We left that spot at Peckham Levels in lockdown and never actually went back. It was a shared building so the government's rules on it were super tight. I remember all the rumours of a lockdown and the day before, I hired a Luton van, filled it and cut! Me and Fred, who was my only employee, drove it all to his parents house as they had a garage, and we set up there. Big love to Fred and his family, they are the best.
JCM: Ah yes the garage legacy; Bezos, Jobs and Chudley. I remember wondering if you ever slept; between producing in-house lines for Blacksmith, functioning as a multi-brand retailer and having a family too I couldn’t imagine how you’d be able to throw something else into the mix - I guess I’m more intrigued than ever, does Mr.Service Works ever rest?
TC: Haha I feel like I don't do a great deal. I think, at the moment, I have a good balance of family, photoshop and sitting in the bath. All my boxes are ticked. It was only ever exhausting when I was juggling it with working for other people full time. Being able to do my own thing is way too fun to be tiring and making the type of clothes I'm into is pretty easy. It's a good time and I like trying new things, I should probably just focus on doing one thing but I like hopping about. I'm lucky that I now get to work with good people to help in different areas and they force me to do actual work.
JCM: I can’t believe you do actual work Tom, you’ve changed maaan... I guess for the unlucky few out there who have yet to stumble upon Service Works, what was the journey like leading up-to its creation? I feel like you’re really good at finding connections between things you’re into that haven’t been explored in a certain way and SW comes across like a natural kneading of your own experiences and interests.
TC: I think similar to Blacksmith, it came out of a frustration of the products which were available at the time. There were loads of brands and garments which, to me, were nearly good in the food/clothing space but all lacked something, whether it be sustainability, value or authenticity, and actual participation in the industry they claimed to be a part of. I basically wanted to bring a load of different aspects of stuff I liked, but wouldn't buy for those reasons, together into one brand. I’d looked at just sourcing and selling a bunch of those brands I liked, but the product or sensibilities were never quite there for me. Luckily, enough other people like my take on it and now it’s almost a functioning business!
JCM: Yeah for sure, you’re kind of like Seth Rogan in that movie where he wonders why cleaning products are so chemical-ly, except instead of making surface cleaner you can drink you’re making chef trousers you can wear. I think one of the best bits about Service Works is your ability to balance simplicity and functionality with a little dusting of you. We both met through the way we designed tees with that old school affinity for subcultural references, so it's cool to see something exist in contemporary workwear that carries over that same attitude; the “Salsa Verde” Minor Threat riff is a personal favourite.
TC: Thanks! I think it's a nice way to tell people what I'm into without it becoming the entire brand and you can kind of take it or leave it. I don’t think it takes away from the utility and uniform side of Service Works. T-shirts have always been my favourite way to channel references and go further into the stuff I like. You and I both have quite a broad taste of niche things and to be able to bring them in where they can make sense to the people who know the reference, but similarly, be a cool sentiment without context, is the goal I guess.
JCM: I reckon Ian Mackaye would rock some Service Works trousers, as a mini-beanie pioneer he’d fit right into East London too. In a world where every other new brand wants to use skateboarding as a cultural validator does it feel strange existing as one of the few where it actually makes sense? I know you used to go skating in your chef trousers after work, I’m guessing because they were pretty comfy, elasticated, loose and already pretty fucked up? Has there always been this cross pollination for you between hospitality and skateboarding and have you noticed the skateboarding and culinary worlds have become closer together since SW’s creation?
TC: The two have definitely always gone hand in hand for me, and it continues to be the way. Whatever country and city I go to and hang out in, it's exactly the same. I can never figure out exactly why that is, but I guess there is a fairly limited pool of super intense, fast paced, but creative careers, and hospitality employs a lot of people. I think skateboarding and cooking attract the same personalities because of it. In both, you have to constantly be reacting fast or you're going to get hurt, but also the outcome is the most rewarding feeling under the sun and can be achieved in a million different ways. There’s endless room for personal style and interpretation within cooking and skateboarding, and it's so highly celebrated in both. It definitely makes sense and goes beyond trousers but also, loose trousers usually indicate a good time.
JCM: Yeah thats pretty cool actually and I’ve never thought about that shared affinity for self expression and individuality within both industries. You make a specific “Kitchen-friendly” Trade Trouser for the industry which I thought was really cool as most brands would just take inspiration from chef trousers, make an elevated derivative and leave it there. You guys actually hold your own as a respected label for independent businesses and restaurants, what’s it like existing in both worlds credibly and what bits keep you excited to keep making clothes?
TC: I think because I'd seen people take inspiration from chef pants like you said, in a corny way, and not really have the industry in mind, it had to be a part of Service Works. I'm super conscious about the fact that we sell to restaurants but also shops who sell £1500 Stone Island jackets. It's a strange place to be because sometimes I want to make a knitted shirt with no practical application whatsoever, but I try not to overthink it. I figure that people working within an industry with a lot of passion and (for me) obsession, it all bleeds into one. Similar to when I would wear my work trousers outside of the kitchen, it doesn't need to be separated out. I think we sell to a certain type of person who is open to a looser way of doing things and less traditional hospitality business owners or pristine, hypey fashion people.
JCM: Loose living, I like it… The elastic-waisted version of “too blessed to be stressed”. Could you talk us through some of the things you thought were lacking in the pre-existing chef trouser world? What was the journey to realising the perfect fit and fabrics?
TC: They were always crazy baggy around the hips but then super tapered and bunched up around my ankles. It's a pretty standard fit across most chef pants and looks kind of ridiculous. They were also made using virgin plastic poly-cotton and I didn't want that rubbing up and down my legs for 10 hours a day. There's obviously a huge emphasis on quality of produce in kitchens who care, and I figured there was space to treat uniforms with the same level of respect.
JCM: Maybe you can make the Michelin guide for chef trousers when you’re bored of being a business tycoon. Quick side note, top 5 food spots in South London?
TC: There are way too many to name, 5 is super tough, in no order: Camberwell Arms, Llewelyn's, Forza Win, FM Mangal and Morleys. No doubt it would be different if you asked me tomorrow as there are so many people doing great things in South London.
JCM: Haha, I think Forza Win and Morleys is what they meant in schools when they talk about a balanced diet… I feel like you have one of the best instagrams around because it’s just full of people who are having a great time enjoying food; when so many brands have seasonal mood boards and heavily-produced serious lookbooks SW plates up fun and simplicity. Is there any method behind selecting the restaurants you work with? I can imagine it must be fun doing *cough* “research” *cough*…
TC: That’s very polite of you. It feels good to not have to do all that mood board or planned stuff and just post as we like. Sometimes we will go like 6 weeks without posting anything, which is probably terrible for business, but it’s nice to have zero pressure to post just for the sake of it. There’s no real method other than using it as a platform to put on (and also eat at) places that we love and think are doing a good thing.
JCM: Your motto is "Designed for Chefs, adapted for all" - what's the most unusual place you’ve seen a pair of Service Works trousers in the wild?
TC: I saw a guy working in a Aldi wearing them and it was so crazy. It took me a minute to figure out what was going on, then I had to try and see his face to see if I knew him. No idea who he was but he was killing it and stacking the wine aisle with the most steeze and passion. He was a cool guy. Still waiting for the call from head office to make their uniforms…
JCM: You heard it here first folks - Service Works X Aldi coming 2025! If there was a Service Works cookbook what would it look like and what would be the go-to recipe for aspiring workwear brand owners?
TC: Haha I think it would look haggard and well loved, with fat splashed all over it. Probably featuring something really heavy duty like ox-cheek and polenta. Feels workwear appropriate.
JCM: *Chefs kiss* I’m not really in the food universe but I remember from the outside I would always feel like there was an unavoidable, preconceived assumption of being pretentious if you’re into food. Service Works seems like the antidote to that in many ways, it’s sort of like you can be into eating really great food but also you’re not turning your nose up at sitting back at home and tucking into a childhood classic…
TC: Yeah I couldn’t agree more. I think because people so often use food for status. Customers and business owners are equally as guilty in giving it a bad name. As with most things, it’s often assumed that price is a marker for quality and taste, which in reality, it obviously is not. Fashion is another perfect example of that being assumed too. Once you get beyond the basic price bracket which ensures the produce/materials are of a good quality and staff are paid fairly, it becomes a pretty level playing field. There are brands and restaurants doing incredible stuff full of care and love at a quarter of the price of a soulless, faux-luxury establishment where the owner has never even entered the building. I think people value authenticity in hospitality now, more now than ever before, and thankfully that can’t be bought or faked. It’s a nice shift away from all the nonsense you used to get lumped into for being someone who is passionate about cooking or even just eating nice food!
JCM: Tom all this talking about nice food is making me hungry, I’m going to stop interfering with whatever new plans you have for world domination and let you get back to your boardroom. Thank you for taking some time out for us and of course we're all super excited to introduce Service Works to Consortium for the first time!
TC: Yes please stop asking me questions now, I am incredibly busy running a gigantic international business and time is money and stuff. Big love Jack and Consortium, and thanks for having us! X
Shop the Service Works Spring/Summer 2024 collection Here
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