Given that most chefs spend their lives in food-flecked whites, arched over cookers in dingy basement kitchens, you may wonder what Mr Jackson Boxer, chef-patron of Orasay in Notting Hill, and Brunello Cucinelli, the luxury Italian clothes designer, have in common. Mr Boxer, who opened his first restaurant, Brunswick House, at the age of 23 (Mr Cucinelli founded his business aged 25), may indeed have an obsession with food – it very much comes with the territory. But he also has an interest in style.

Mr Boxer has expressed his penchant for Japanese leather jackets and selvedge denim, for example, to fashion press in the past. He also has a certain look about him – spiky hair, high cheekbones, slender frame – which inevitably lends itself to the fashion world. But there is something a little less tangible, yet undoubtedly more meaningful, which makes this partnership between the two men seem fitting.

It perhaps becomes apparent when Mr Boxer – dressed in Brunello Cucinelli’s SS20 Gymnasium collection (available exclusively on MR PORTER now) – gets talking on the topic of “quality” in this short film. We see him foraging on his parents’ farm in West Sussex, cooking in his Orasay kitchen, and preparing food at his Stockwell home in south London. It is something which seems as important to the food he puts out on his plates – which might be anything from grilled unagi chicken to palourde clams to nduja and lime – as it is to the fine clothing that has been produced by philosopher-designer Mr Cucinelli in Italy since 1978. To this day, the company is based in a 14th-century castle in Umbria.

“Quality of ingredients is probably the only important thing to me,” says Mr Boxer while collecting mushrooms. “Ingredients have an auratic quality,” he continues, referring to the instinctive feeling he gets when he comes into contact with the building blocks of his award-winning recipes. “You can lift something up and feel its density or weight or firmness – you can feel a beauty, you can smell it, you can taste it.”

Brunello Cucinelli, which was set up in 1979, is similarly preoccupied with such matters. “The care taken when creating a product can be seen in the use of high-quality raw materials, the tailoring and the craftsmanship of the products,” Mr Cucinelli says of his clothing. This commitment to craft is evident in the goose-feather gilet and cotton sweater Mr Boxer wears on his farm. You can feel it, too, in the shell blazer (epitomising Mr Cucinelli’s appreciation of “sporty chic”) and leather-trimmed brushed-suede sneakers Mr Boxer wears in his Notting Hill restaurant. And also in the comfortable off-duty outfit – the striped cotton cardigan and cotton-jersey T-shirt – he wears in his home.

Mr Cucinelli may have gained the unofficial title “king of cashmere” (his namesake brand began by specialising in cashmere garments for women, and he regularly travels to Mongolia to source directly from producers), but he has a deep understanding and appreciation for other materials that he uses to make his clothing.

As you might expect, everything is handmade, which is something Mr Boxer is keen to discuss. “Dressed by hand, made by hand, plated by hand means there are inevitable differences and I believe that’s the most life affirming thing about what we do at Orasay – and in its quiet unassuming way its proved such a resounding hit so far and what makes it so exciting to keep coming back and pushing.”

Messrs Boxer and Cucinelli do not just share an appreciation of what you work with to produce the best possible product, they are also concerned with the impact of their work. And we’re not necessarily talking about the final results. In the past, Mr Cucinelli has talked about his business being a “humanistic enterprise”. He is very much aware of how his business affects the environment, the people who work for him, and the artisans who help create his fine clothing. You’ll find a detailed section on the Brunello Cucinelli website entitled “harmony with creation and human sustainability”, where he talks about “humanistic capitalism” and using the earth’s materials “with moderation”.

When we spoke to Mr Boxer, he expressed similar concerns. “It’s important to me that [produce] comes from a system of regenerative agriculture… I could buy incredible things from all over the world, but I choose not to because I would see the negatives far outweighing the positives. I have a little farm in West Sussex where I grow things. I have some farmers who I work with who grow things. I know some people who rear animals, who will send them to me once butchered. I know some fishermen. These are people I admire and trust. Somehow, that connection means everything I take from them, tastes, feels, and ends up being better and more delicious.”

What’s more, you could say that the seasons are as important to the world of fashion as they are for food. And, as Mr Cucinelli likes to add a contemporary, practical and sporty twist to his clothing, Mr Boxer enjoys playing around with what is expected of him in the kitchen. “The seasons dictate what we want to eat… and what we can eat,” he told MR PORTER. “In summer, we want brightness, lightness, crunch; we eat the beautiful snappy green things so profuse in these months. In winter we crave richness, concentration, reassurance, we eat roots, dairy, purees. It all follows naturally. In fact, I spend more time thinking upside down and wondering how to make summer produce rich and soulful, and winter produce vivacious and sprightly. I don’t know why.”