Come Dine With Me… (di)vision

Recently, we caught up with some fashionable friends on a whistle-stop tour of the city said to be the happiest in the world, Copenhagen. We don’t get many chances to spend time with the brother-and-sister-duo at the helm of Conscious label (di)vision, so whilst we were in their home city, we seized our opportunity to have a chat with Nanna and Simon Wick over their go-to, pre-party meal.

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Where are you and what are you eating / drinking?
Simon: We are at Fiskebaren - one of our favourite restaurants in the city. We’re having Fish ‘n’ Chips and a pint of beer. I could eat this every day! I think I’ve been here almost once a week for the past four years.

Why did you choose this spot?
Simon: When we started (di)vision, I was actually working in the restaurant here at night to make ends meet. So Fiskebaren has always had a special place in my heart. It reminds me that everything is possible if you put in the work.

What’s your favourite thing on the menu?
Simon: I’ve got to go with the aforementioned Fish ‘n’ Chips. Most of the dishes on the menu change seasonally, but this dish has stayed the same throughout the years. I like the consistency.

Let’s talk about the ingredients that make up your career. What are they? How did you get started?
Nanna: Right now, the ingredients are definitely caffeine and sugar! As well as patience, hope and planning.

When did you begin (di)vision and why?
Simon: We wanted to stir up the industry by breaking the conventional ways of working. Showing that creating more responsible/sustainable fashion didn’t necessarily have to fit in one box. We had an urge to create and couldn’t stop it, but at the same time we knew that if we were creating a brand in 2018, we had to do it responsibly. As the world already has way too many old fabrics and garments, we figured creating from what already is would be the best way for us to work.

Your work is a mixture of classic and conceptual. How do you find the balance between the flavours?
Simon: We usually say that (di)vision started more as a concept than a clothing brand. Everything we did for the first seasons was based on the concept of cutting surplus/vintage garments up and sewing them together in different combinations.

Working with deadstock fabrics means that we often don’t know what’s available until we are given the leftover fabric. We may design a certain style before actually knowing what it will be made from, which often means that we create classic styles in fabrics you would have never thought of.

How do you cook up an idea? Talk us through your creative process.
Nanna: As Simon and I grew up together and enjoyed the same movies, books, magazines and videogames, we share a lot of the same references. This makes our brainstorming sessions so much fun, because each of us instantly knows what the other one’s vision is. We often dive into a concept of some sort and take it from there.

In your opinion, who has excellent taste?
Simon: It’s tough to pick just one person! There are so many people with great taste in this industry. We love our good friend Mona Tougaard’s style - it’s always refreshing to see what she’s up to, wearing and eating!

Now for the fun questions.... Favourite thing to eat?
Nanna: Pasta!

Least favourite thing to eat?
Nanna: I’m not a picky eater! But I’m not the biggest fan of blue cheese and would rather skip if I get the chance.

If (di)vision was a dish, what dish would it be?
Simon: Pizza. Classic but still versatile… You think you have seen it all, but it keeps on being reinvented - either chic with a thin crust, or sturdy like a deep-pan.

What one food / drink can’t you live without?
Nanna: I know it’s such a cliche, but coffee really rocks my world at the moment. Balancing being a mom to a two year old and growing business sometimes calls for some late nights and very early mornings. Lucky for me, I wouldn’t be without either.

What would your last meal be?
Simon: I think it would be our mum’s comforting spinach pie. It reminds me of my childhood and cold winter nights.

If you could only eat one cuisine for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Simon: I think Italian cuisine. I know it’s not only pizza and pasta, but that’s my favourite.

What's your favourite restaurant in the whole world?
Simon: Fabro, a local pasta place here in Copenhagen. I love seeing my friends win in life, and they really did with this one. I actually held my 26th birthday there recently.

What three people (living or dead) are at your dream dinner table?
Simon: George R.R. Martin - I’m watching a lot of GoT and House of the Dragon at the moment and I have so much to ask him about. Fox Mulder from X-files. Our AW22 collection is titled “GUESTS ON EARTH” and I really dug deep into UFO culture and X-Files as we were making it - I have so many unanswered questions. Lastly, Rihanna. I think we would vibe.

In life, what’s the best recipe for success?
Nanna: Find the people you love and share as much time with them.

They say that success smells sweet. What does it smell like to you?
Simon: Family.

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Video: Gustav Thuesen
Photography: Jonathan Middleton
Words: Sophy Davis Russell