Carri Mundane
Encyclopedia
Carri Mundane is an English
fashion designer. Born as Carri Munden, she is also credited as Carri Mundane and CassettePlaya, her fashion label. She currently works and lives in London
.
for music videos and tours
. She says of those she works with, "We have the same references... I translate their sound into clothes." Munden graduated in fashion design at the University of Westminster
. She met fellow designer and close friend Mathangi Arulpragasam while the latter was looking to include a subject in one of her films; she describes the two as "the only weirdos in west London
" at the time.
She has worked with several people including M.I.A.
(a tracksuit for "Galang"), Klaxons
("Atlantis to Interzone
"), Dizzee Rascal
, Late of the Pier
, Patrick Wolf
, Ruff Sqwad
, Boy Better Know
and Afrikan Boy
among others. Mundane is a contributing fashion editor of Super Super magazine, contributor and stylist for i-D
, and has collaborated with Nicola Formichetti
of Dazed & Confused
. Her designs have also been worn by Nelly Furtado
and Rihanna
.
Mundane began designing for Klaxons at the beginning of their career. Munden has also styled and art directed a Billionaire Boys Club
shoot for Dazed & Confused, and "Dunk Be True", an exhibition in the East End of London
, focusing on the iconic Nike Dunk, in which she also appeared. She and designer Steve Loveridge were commissioned by M.I.A. to contribute artwork for her 2007 album Kala
.
In 2007, Munden was nominated for "Best Menswear Designer" at the British Fashion Awards
, alongside Christopher Bailey
and Alexander McQueen
.
In 2008, she was named by Rolling Stone magazine as "Best Fashion Designer" of 2008 in their "Best of Rock" issue.
She has presented her work four times at MAN
, an initiative for new menswear as part of London Fashion Week
, and also showcased her work in a Pitti Immagine sponsored exhibition as part of the Milan Fashion Week
. Her first MAN showcase was a film installation (MAN Fall/Winter 2006/07), then a show for Spring/Summer 2007, followed by a film shown on the runway and then her "Future Primitive" show for Spring/Summer 2008.
In collaboration with Nike
, a Cassette Playa Nike Blazer Premium was exclusively created and featured in her Spring/Summer 2008 show, to be released in selected international stores in late 2008. In July 2008, her work is presented in the "Fashion V Sport" exhibition at London’s V&A (Victoria & Albert Museum). International outlets where her clothes sell include Dover Street Market
in London, Colette
in Paris, SlamJam in Milan
, Seven in New York
, and Side by Side
in Tokyo
amongst others. On her MySpace
account, Mundane lists the Kokon to Zai at London
and Paris
, Walter Store at Antwerp, Henrik Wibskov Store in Copenhagen
, the Black Market in Stockholm
, Daily Projects in Seoul
, Ambush in Singapore
, Shine in Hong Kong
, and UK Style in Moscow
as boutiques that also stock CassettePlaya.
Munden was commissioned by Nintendo DS
to provide vinyl and foil artwork rooted in customisation for the console's MySims
world game. A 2008 live video jumpdance installation work at the Pitti Uomo in Florence, Italy was particularly well received -showcasing "street gang pixel
warriors joined by Sci-fi grime boys" sporting varying garments.
In 2010, Munden appeared in a fashion-themed episode of series six
of The Apprentice.
, Japan
ese anime
, African prints, neon
, and '90s rave
as influences in addition to animal
s, science
and science fiction
. She describes the CassettePlaya universe as "techno, primal, positive, tribal." Casseteplaya is known a pioneer of the new rave
genre in fashion although Cassetteplaya has distanced herself from the term, saying it is "Vacant in retro. It’s just a marketing machine.... I guess it was a fun time but I’m more excited about what happens now. The next level - the next generation. There’s a mood of neo-spiritualism and futurism that excites me." Her use of paw print fabrics and "evil looking animal masks" led some to describe her fashions as having "a certain wrath-of-Technoticlan vibe." She says "I draw really heavily from ancient hunting rituals, but my collection was also inspired by Eighties and Nineties skate culture...I wanted to bring that ancient Shamanic vibe to the city today." Aztec art
was cited as inspiring her use of orange in early lines. She describes some of her designs as "quite cartoon" but that she has "no intention of making people look funny". Designing wear for men, she feels her designs make male wearers more 'masculinated', stating "You have to be hard to carry it off." Interested in video games, her most recent line references YouTube
, text messaging
and circuit bending
, propelled by her desire to create a matrix
with wearers "stepping into the gaming world with no way to get back out."
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
fashion designer. Born as Carri Munden, she is also credited as Carri Mundane and CassettePlaya, her fashion label. She currently works and lives in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Career
In addition to her lines, Munden has worked as a stylistWardrobe stylist
A wardrobe stylist is the job title of someone who selects the clothing for published editorial features, print or television advertising campaigns, music videos, concert performances, and any public appearances made by celebrities, models or other public figures...
for music videos and tours
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
. She says of those she works with, "We have the same references... I translate their sound into clothes." Munden graduated in fashion design at the University of Westminster
University of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
. She met fellow designer and close friend Mathangi Arulpragasam while the latter was looking to include a subject in one of her films; she describes the two as "the only weirdos in west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
" at the time.
She has worked with several people including M.I.A.
M.I.A. (artist)
Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam , better known by her stage name M.I.A. , is an English singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, painter and director of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. Her compositions combine elements of hip hop, electronica, dance, alternative and world music. M.I.A...
(a tracksuit for "Galang"), Klaxons
Klaxons
Klaxons are a British indie rock band, based in London. Following the release of numerous 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles "Magick" and "Golden Skans", the band released their debut album, Myths of the Near Future on 29 January 2007....
("Atlantis to Interzone
Atlantis to Interzone
"Atlantis to Interzone" is a song by British indie electro act Klaxons. The song references the mythical lost city of Atlantis and the short story collection Interzone by William S. Burroughs, which is itself Burroughs' concept of a "metaphorical stateless city"...
"), Dizzee Rascal
Dizzee Rascal
Dylan Kwabena Mills , better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles...
, Late of the Pier
Late of the Pier
Late of the Pier are a four-piece dance-punk band from Castle Donington, England, currently signed to Phantasy. Their debut album Fantasy Black Channel was released on 11 August 2008 by Parlophone produced by Erol Alkan.- History :...
, Patrick Wolf
Patrick Wolf
Patrick Wolf is an English-Irish singer-songwriter from South London. Patrick utilises a wide variety of instruments in his music, most commonly the ukulele, piano and viola...
, Ruff Sqwad
Ruff Sqwad
Ruff Sqwad is a Ghanaian British grime music, post-dubstep and alternative hip hop group originating from Republic of Ghana formed by Tinchy Stryder in 2001...
, Boy Better Know
Boy Better Know
-History:The band and label were established by Jamie Adenuga "Boy Better Know" is a registered trademark, clothing line and Boy Better Know sim cards....
and Afrikan Boy
Afrikan Boy
Olushola Ajose, better known by his stage name Afrikan Boy is a grime MC from Woolwich, London, England, originally from Nigeria. He made a guest appearance on the track "Hussel" from the M.I.A. album Kala, and is one of the initial artists M.I.A. wanted signed to her label in 2007, then titled...
among others. Mundane is a contributing fashion editor of Super Super magazine, contributor and stylist for i-D
I-D
i-D is a British magazine dedicated to fashion, music, art and youth culture. i-D was founded by designer and former Vogue art director Terry Jones in 1980. The first issue was published in the form of a hand-stapled fanzine with text produced on a typewriter...
, and has collaborated with Nicola Formichetti
Nicola Formichetti
Nicola Formichetti is an internationally prolific fashion director and fashion editor of mixed Italian and Japanese heritage. He is most widely known as the new creative director for the French fashion house MUGLER, and for being a frequent collaborator with singer-songwriter and performance...
of Dazed & Confused
Dazed & Confused (magazine)
Dazed & Confused is a British style magazine, that was set up in 1992 and published monthly. Its founding editors were Jefferson Hack and Rankin...
. Her designs have also been worn by Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
and Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
.
Mundane began designing for Klaxons at the beginning of their career. Munden has also styled and art directed a Billionaire Boys Club
Billionaire Boys Club
The Billionaire Boys Club was an investment-and-social club organized by Joseph Gamsky, also known as "Joe Hunt", in southern California in 1983...
shoot for Dazed & Confused, and "Dunk Be True", an exhibition in the East End of London
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
, focusing on the iconic Nike Dunk, in which she also appeared. She and designer Steve Loveridge were commissioned by M.I.A. to contribute artwork for her 2007 album Kala
Kala (album)
Kala is the second studio album by British musician M.I.A., released in August 2007. The album features musical styles ranging from dance music to alternative hip hop and makes extensive use of South Asian music such as that of the urumee, a drum used in gaana music native to Tamil Nadu, India. It...
.
In 2007, Munden was nominated for "Best Menswear Designer" at the British Fashion Awards
British Fashion Awards
The British Fashion Awards is a ceremony held annually in the United Kingdom to present awards to those who have made the most outstanding contributions to British clothing design during the year. The awards include that of British Designer of the Year, and Outstanding Contribution as well as...
, alongside Christopher Bailey
Christopher Bailey
Christopher Bailey is a lecturer of English at the University of Brighton and is an occasional screenwriter for television.He wrote the script for the Doctor Who serial Kinda in 1982...
and Alexander McQueen
Alexander McQueen
Lee Alexander McQueen, CBE was a British fashion designer and couturier best known for his in-depth knowledge of bespoke British tailoring, his tendency to juxtapose strength with fragility in his collections, as well as the emotional power and raw energy of his provocative fashion shows...
.
In 2008, she was named by Rolling Stone magazine as "Best Fashion Designer" of 2008 in their "Best of Rock" issue.
She has presented her work four times at MAN
Man
The term man is used for an adult human male . However, man is sometimes used to refer to humanity as a whole...
, an initiative for new menswear as part of London Fashion Week
London Fashion Week
London Fashion Week is an apparel trade show held in London, England twice each year, in February and September. It is one of the "Big Four" fashion weeks, along with New York Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week.-Organization:...
, and also showcased her work in a Pitti Immagine sponsored exhibition as part of the Milan Fashion Week
Fashion Week
A fashion week is a fashion industry event, lasting approximately one week, which allows fashion designers, brands or "houses" to display their latest collections in runway shows and buyers and the media to take a look at the latest trends. Most importantly, these events let the industry know...
. Her first MAN showcase was a film installation (MAN Fall/Winter 2006/07), then a show for Spring/Summer 2007, followed by a film shown on the runway and then her "Future Primitive" show for Spring/Summer 2008.
In collaboration with Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
, a Cassette Playa Nike Blazer Premium was exclusively created and featured in her Spring/Summer 2008 show, to be released in selected international stores in late 2008. In July 2008, her work is presented in the "Fashion V Sport" exhibition at London’s V&A (Victoria & Albert Museum). International outlets where her clothes sell include Dover Street Market
Dover Street Market
Dover Street Market is a multilevel fashion retail store created by Rei Kawakubo of Japanese fashion label Comme des Garçons. It is located in Dover Street Mayfair, London.Dover Street Market Tokyo opened in 2006 and is a smaller version of the London store....
in London, Colette
Colette
Colette was the surname of the French novelist and performer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette . She is best known for her novel Gigi, upon which Lerner and Loewe based the stage and film musical comedies of the same title.-Early life and marriage:Colette was born to retired military officer Jules-Joseph...
in Paris, SlamJam in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Seven in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and Side by Side
Side by Side
-Music:*"Side by Side" , a song by Gus Kahn and Harry Woods, popularized by Kay Starr*Side by Side , 1959*Side by Side , 1994...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
amongst others. On her MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
account, Mundane lists the Kokon to Zai at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Walter Store at Antwerp, Henrik Wibskov Store in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, the Black Market in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Daily Projects in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, Ambush in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Shine in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, and UK Style in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
as boutiques that also stock CassettePlaya.
Munden was commissioned by Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
to provide vinyl and foil artwork rooted in customisation for the console's MySims
MySims
MySims, formerly The Sims Wii and Nintendo Sims, is a video game developed by EA Redwood Shores and published by Electronic Arts as a spinoff to Maxis' The Sims franchise for the Nintendo DS and Wii in 2007, then re-released for Microsoft Windows and Mobile phone in 2008.It is the first game in the...
world game. A 2008 live video jumpdance installation work at the Pitti Uomo in Florence, Italy was particularly well received -showcasing "street gang pixel
Pixel
In digital imaging, a pixel, or pel, is a single point in a raster image, or the smallest addressable screen element in a display device; it is the smallest unit of picture that can be represented or controlled....
warriors joined by Sci-fi grime boys" sporting varying garments.
In 2010, Munden appeared in a fashion-themed episode of series six
The Apprentice (UK series six)
Series Six of The Apprentice is a British reality television series. The series started on BBC One on 6 October 2010 and ran for twelve weekly hour-long episodes, as in all previous years...
of The Apprentice.
Aesthetic
Influenced by her subjects' art, Mundane has also cited several global traditions including '90s skater fashionSkating
Skating may refer to:*Freestyle slalom skating*Ice skating and various sub-forms:**Figure skating**Speed skating**Tour skating*Inline skating and sub-forms:**Aggressive inline skating**Inline speed skating*Road skating*Roller skating...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
, African prints, neon
Neon
Neon is the chemical element that has the symbol Ne and an atomic number of 10. Although a very common element in the universe, it is rare on Earth. A colorless, inert noble gas under standard conditions, neon gives a distinct reddish-orange glow when used in either low-voltage neon glow lamps or...
, and '90s rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
as influences in addition to animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s, science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
. She describes the CassettePlaya universe as "techno, primal, positive, tribal." Casseteplaya is known a pioneer of the new rave
New Rave
New rave is a term applied to several types of music that fuse elements of electronic music, new wave, rock, indie, techno, bastard pop, breakbeat hardcore and electro house...
genre in fashion although Cassetteplaya has distanced herself from the term, saying it is "Vacant in retro. It’s just a marketing machine.... I guess it was a fun time but I’m more excited about what happens now. The next level - the next generation. There’s a mood of neo-spiritualism and futurism that excites me." Her use of paw print fabrics and "evil looking animal masks" led some to describe her fashions as having "a certain wrath-of-Technoticlan vibe." She says "I draw really heavily from ancient hunting rituals, but my collection was also inspired by Eighties and Nineties skate culture...I wanted to bring that ancient Shamanic vibe to the city today." Aztec art
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
was cited as inspiring her use of orange in early lines. She describes some of her designs as "quite cartoon" but that she has "no intention of making people look funny". Designing wear for men, she feels her designs make male wearers more 'masculinated', stating "You have to be hard to carry it off." Interested in video games, her most recent line references YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, text messaging
Text messaging
Text messaging, or texting, refers to the exchange of brief written text messages between fixed-line phone or mobile phone and fixed or portable devices over a network...
and circuit bending
Circuit bending
Circuit bending is the creative customization of the circuits within electronic devices such as low voltage, battery-powered guitar effects, children's toys and small digital synthesizers to create new musical or visual instruments and sound generators....
, propelled by her desire to create a matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
with wearers "stepping into the gaming world with no way to get back out."