While (di)vision’s FW23 “Dressed For Disaster” show felt like a messy dinner after party at first – guests were seated in a restaurant where they were greeted with leftover food, drinks and cigarette butts, almost completely melted candles and wine-stained linen tablecloths – it turned out to be far from a disaster.
90S GRUNGE MEETS Y2K
As the models started strutting down the space accompanied by the sounds of new metal rock bands from Linkin Park to Limp Bizkit via a live jazz band, Simon and Nanna Wick’s vision became clear: a neo grunge aesthetic meets the Y2K movement all wrapped up in an elevated high fashion look. Imperfections were intentional for (di)vision. Ripped tops, patchwork flannels and knit sweaters reminiscent of Kurt Cobain were strategically mixed in with early 2000s trucker hats, leg warmers, as well as super low-rise trousers and skirts.
The assignment was “the train wreck Woodstock 1999 festival meets the Met Gala”, as stated in a press release, and Simon and Nanna fully understood it. While (di)vision’s aesthetic embodied the grittiness of the 90s and trashy glamour of the 00s, the creative choices could not have felt more up to date. The response given by many fashion brands in light of the climate crisis has been to turn to deadstock fabric in order to reduce waste, a method adopted here by the siblings. While the imperfections in 90s grunge and skatewear came from a scarcity of product available to lower classes, “Dressed For Disaster” is intentionally refusing to create excess product, reusing old fabrics and working with what is available to them.
AN ASICS COLLABORATION
Accompanying the garments were 25 pairs of ASICS sneakers in a collaboration with the brand. Some sported grey, pink and green hues while others were decorated with denim scrap, another way in which (di)vision uses deadstock fabrics for an elevated look. The sneakers will reportedly be sold on the Danish retail platform Naked, and all profits will be donated to charity.
DINNER WAS MADE FOR EATING, NOT TALKING
When the guests thought the show was over, as the models walking around the dinner room had exited and the music had stopped, Sarah Dahl, an unsuspecting model who had been sitting at one of the guest tables for the entirety of the show, taps her glass with a spoon as if to make an announcement before standing up the reveal the final look of the show: a pink ensemble consisting of a skirt accompanied by a silver chain belt and a distressed off-the-shoulder cropped top.
The catch? The tablecloth set where she was seated was the train of her skirt, leaving all dinner guests stunned as she walked down the room sending cutlery and leftover fries flying across the room. She literally ate, and the Internet can’t stop talking about it.
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