La Carmina is a professional Japan & alternative fashion/beauty/youth cultures blogger, travel TV host, author of 3 books (Penguin USA and Random House), designer and journalist for AOL Travel / Huffington Post. We are very delighted to interview her.
Tell us a little bit about yourself…
I’m a Goth-kawaii Japan fashion blogger, pop culture journalist, travel TV host, and author of 3 books — including Cute Yummy Time (Penguin) and Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo (Random House). My blog – http://www.lacarmina.com/blog/ – has led to incredible adventures in travel and fashion, including appearances at Luisaviaroma in Italy, and New York Fashion Week. My « First Mate » and I started a Tokyo TV fixing, hosting and coolhunting firm, called « La Carmina & The Pirates. » (http://www.lacarmina.com/pirates) I also host my own travel show for AOL / Huffington Post. Right now, my focus is on television presenting; I’ve appeared on The Today Show, Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern for Travel Channel, NHK Japan, Fuel/Discovery/National Geographic, Food Network, Pepsi Netherlands, Norway TV, CNN and more. All my TV clips are here: http://www.lacarmina.com/bio.php
How did you first get interested in fashion and why is it important?
I always traveled in Asia as a child. In my early teens, I visited Harajuku Japan and my mind was blown open by the wild, alternative street fashion. This was the initial spark that exploded into my career path today. For me, fashion is a powerful way that we can express ourselves, and find strength — especially when you identify with underground subcultures.
Describe your personal style and its influences/inspiration.
I love to mix Gothic, Jrock, Punk and 19th century elegance. Spiked boots, frilled skirts, embroidered corsets, ripped tights, zombie hair clips, layers of silver crucifix bracelets, and decadent eyelashes. You can see my outfit posts on my La Carmina blog, www.lacarmina.com/blog
Favorite designers and places to shop?
You’ll often see me wearing Sourpuss clothing, Lumete sunglasses, and Angelica Brigade accessories (such as lovely flower hair clips). My favorite store is Tokyo’s Closet Child — it’s chock full of secondhand clothes by Gothic Lolita and Punk designers. Such as Black Peace Now, Putumayo, Banana Fish.
The first thing you look at in another person’s outfit is:
I’m drawn to the « theme » of the outfit, as the saying goes in Japan. There’s a story behind the colors, layering and aesthetics. I love to see how these choices reflect the personality of the individual.
Find her:
URL – www.lacarmina.com
BLOG – www.lacarmina.com/blog
Twitter – twitter.com/lacarmina
YouTube – youtube.com/lacarmina
