(di)vision and Hedvig team up on a capsule that upcycles tablecloths from the brand’s viral autumn/winter 2023 show
Now that the dust has settled on Copenhagen Fashion Week, there’s one moment that lingers in our minds: that tablecloth dress finale at (di)vision. The capper on a raucous show, which included leftover French fries, Jägermeister cocktails and a jazz band playing ‘Skater Boi’, the viral moment saw model Sarah Dahl stand up from her table and walk confidently down the makeshift runway, revealing that her dress, in fact, was the tablecloth (chef’s kiss). “I’ve never experienced anything like that,” says (di)vision co-founder Simon Wick, also just so happens to be Dahl’s boyfriend. “It went so viral that it’s f***ing crazy.”
Tomorrow, (di)vision obsessives will have the chance to nab their own garments fashioned from wine-stained upcycled tablecloths. Dubbed TABLEWARE, the capsule consists of breezy short sleeve button-downs, workwear trousers, lounge shorts and oversized totes all fashioned from the very tablecloths that topped the tables show-goers sat at during the runway show. The collection is an extension of (di)vision’s collaboration with hip Swedish insurance brand Hedvig, which also “insured” and served as collaborator on executing the show itself.
At first glance, (di)vision, a brand known for a certain punkish upcycling and a devil-may-care attitude, and Hedvig, an insurance company, don’t seem like the most natural bedfellows. But upon closer inspection, those with an “act now, ask questions later” mentality are exactly the sort who need insurance. Dubbed ‘Dressed for Disaster’ and inspired by the disaster that was Woodstock ‘99, the autumn/winter 2023 collection imagines a swanky gala that has been completely trashed; a happening that benefits from coverage. “The concept of the show was to emphasise the chaos that can come up if you are wild and free in a very non-wild and free location – like a posh dining hall,” says Hedvig Creative Director Petter Swanberg. “You can actually enjoy life by breaking rules. It symbols a great party, rather than an accident.”
It was (di)vision that first approached Hedvig. “We always like to look for partners that fit our idea,” says Wick. “So we had this whole concept of the show venue being smashed and this whole Woodstock ’99 disaster festival vibe. And we thought, ‘Who would be fun to work with?’” Hedvig, with its unorthodox approach to insurance and, specifically, the marketing of insurance, came to mind almost immediately. What better time to be insured than when disaster strikes?
What was Swanberg’s reaction when Wick suggested the big finale? “He looked at me and said, ‘I think the final look is going to be the table’,” Swanberg says. “And I was like, ‘Alright, you’re crazy, but we’re in’.” Inspired by Coperni’s spray-on dress, Wick specifically aimed to create a moment that would set the internet ablaze. “It’s obvious to everyone that follows fashion these days that creating a moment means more than ever,” he says. In order to capture that signature (di)vision flavour, the moment had to involve “creating from what already is”. “Everyone was already seated at these tables with the tablecloth,” he says. “So using the tablecloth for the garment, it was like, ‘We should do that’.”
As there were only a finite amount of tablecloths from which to create the capsule, TABLEWARE will only be available via raffle on both Hedvig and (di)vision’s Instagrams in very limited quantities. “They’re sort of like artefacts of this viral show. The way to look at them is more like art pieces than something you should wear,” Wick says, noting that the garments still look “really cool” on the body. “They’re a moment in history. And if not in history, then at least (di)vision’s history.”