How Gardener Style Took Root in Fashion

Gardener style is moving beyond the allotment. Cords, gilets, barn jackets, clogs, Blundstones and chore jackets are increasingly appearing in cafés, creative workplaces and city streets, as gardening-inspired clothing, footwear and tools acquire a new cultural charge.

The shift is being amplified by fashion campaigns and prominent horticultural figures. Monty Don is reported to be stepping down from Gardeners’ World after 23 years, while New Balance is due to launch trainers with jewellery designer Bleue Wickham-Burnham in a campaign featuring Don. Gardener Charlie McCormick is reported to front JW Anderson’s spring 2027 campaign, and Alfie Nickerson features in Jimmy Choo’s autumn campaign, Wild Rose.

The Guardian reports that gardening content on TikTok has increased by 50 per cent this year, although the supplied material does not establish whether that reflects a broader rise in gardening itself. Specialist retailers are also positioning gardening gear as lifestyle clothing: premium tools, canvas bags, balloon-shaped trousers and clogs are being sold to customers who may not own, or even work in, a garden.

The appeal is partly aesthetic, but it is also attached to a particular idea of useful, grounded creativity. Garden Museum head gardener Matt Collins describes gardening as worthy, creative work, while other gardeners connect its appeal to nostalgia, outdoor life, environmental concern and an escape from an intensely online culture. Its visibility is expanding through galleries, museums, parks and community gardens.

There is, however, a gap between the polished image and the work itself. Public gardening can involve waste, physical demands and difficult conditions, while the status attached to gardeners does not necessarily translate into better pay or accessibility. For now, gardener style is selling the look of practical engagement — whether or not the wearer ever breaks ground.