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A Little About Us
We’re a London-based culinary lifestyle brand built on a simple belief: everyone deserves to feel capable and at home in the kitchen.
Inspired by the families, cultures and recipes that shaped us, IkoPrep is at the centre of thoughtful kitchen essentials for the beautiful mess of real cooking.
From Our Kitchens to Yours
We grew up in immigrant families where food was a language of love and hard work was part of everyday life.
Our kitchens were never picture-perfect, they were warm, loud, busy and full of stories.
We started IkoPrep when we struggled to find kitchen essentials that felt practical, expressive and made for cooks like us.
So we decided to create them ourselves.
Making the Kitchen Feel Like Yours
We believe cooking should feel less intimidating and more inviting.
Everything we create is designed to help you step into the kitchen feeling comfortable, confident and ready to make something you’re proud of.
Our Core Values
01
Made with Heart
Created with care for real people, real kitchens and the moments shared around food.
02
Proudly Non-Conventional
We challenge the ordinary with expressive design, thoughtful ideas and a fresh approach to kitchen essentials.
03
Rooted in People
Inspired by the cultures, stories and traditions that bring us together through food.
CO-FOUNDER
JJ Yan
I’m a university student, born and raised in Scotland with my parents from Fujian, China. They came to the UK hoping to build a better life for my siblings and I. They still run a Chinese takeaway today, so food has always been at the heart of our family.
Naturally, I became a massive foodie, but for years I avoided cooking. I didn’t know my way around the kitchen, and the spills, stains and piles of washing up afterwards hardly made me eager to learn.
At university, cooking became a necessity, but it also gave me a way to care for the people around me and find focus when life felt busy. What began as a chore slowly grew into something I genuinely loved, giving me a new way to continue explore the world through food.
But when I started looking for an apron, nothing stood out. Most felt outdated, uninspired and untouched by the innovation seen in almost every other part of our lives. So I thought, I'll just do it myself.
That decision became IkoPrep, I want this passion project to bring practical, expressive kitchen essentials to the beautiful mess of real cooking. Through IkoPrep, I want to honour where I come from while helping every cook feel capable, confident and proud to step into the kitchen.
CO-FOUNDER
Daxu Panwar
Growing up, my family were mainly chefs, as my dad had also worked in restaurants and takeaways. Being around that world so much, I saw firsthand how tiring and tough the work really was: long days on your feet, small burns you stop noticing, coming home exhausted but still smelling like the kitchen. But I also saw something beautiful in it. Cooking wasn't just hard work to them; it was how they showed care, pride, and love, plate after plate, day after day.
That's why I make aprons the way I do. An apron isn't just fabric you throw on – it should hold up through the long hours and hard work while still carrying the same care that goes into the food. Every apron I design is built with that balance in mind: tough enough for the kitchen, made with the same passion chefs pour into their cooking.