The surreal world which multi-talented artist Mundi captures in his equally multi-disciplinary output is a creative amalgamation of fantasy, technology and human nature. Unexpectedly, especially for an Icelandic fashion designer, his vision is futuristic. Mundi avoids the clichéd connotations of the awe-inspiring forces of nature Icelandic is known for, choosing rather to merge both a graphic and an artisanal quality in his collections. Colourful chunky knitwear in reworked Chevron patterns are a signature element in his fashion shows, which are invariably complemented by a self-directed short film that’s functions as a visual manual to his narrative.

Dazed Digital: How should we interpret the theme and imagery of your AW13 collection, ‘Snow Blind’?
Mundi: The theme for this collection is part of the on-going world that I’ve been slowly building up since the beginning of the brand. This world exists a few million years into the future. I go there to gather inspiration, I’ll take you with me next time, but we need tons of aluminum foil and salt to get there... I believe that adding variation to the world we live in is more important than we sometimes realize. Without powerful experiences and beautiful landscapes we start to lose sight of our happiness and without it we will slowly fade out. So we must uphold the dream that there is some reason for us being alive.

DD: What role exactly does fashion play in the totality of your creative process? And what is the role of the short films?
Mundi:  For ‘Snow Blind’, I started by designing the textiles, which was particularly fun this time because the technicality of the fabrics was much higher than what I usually do. It was very exciting to work with 66° North, because we knew that whatever we ended up making was going to have the qualities of professional outdoor clothing. Then me, Sæun and Vala (the 66° North outdoors veterans) started working on the cuts. During this process, the characters central to the collection and its story started to take shape. In the end I think the fashion is very important, as the clothes are the final product of the whole creative process. At the same time, the films are great because you can include all the other art forms in one massive package.

DD: At Reykjavik Fashion Festival you showed alongside six other designers, with different aesthetics. Do you feel quite separate from your contemporaries?
Mundi: I guess most of the brands are more traditional than mine, and focus more on the business perspective. I guess they are more interested in making clothes for normal people instead of aliens!

DD: How do you see your own career in the future?
Mundi: I’d like this collaboration with 66°North to take over the commercial end of my own brand, so I can take a more abstract direction trying to push the boundaries of art and fashion further. I’m moving to Berlin where I will also make computer games. I think this might be the most challenging thing I’ve created so far and I’m super exited to try this new form of art.