La Carmina

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La Carmina
Born Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Nationality Canadian
Other names Carmen Yuen
Occupation Author, journalist, writer, blogger, TV host
Website
http://www.lacarmina.com

La Carmina is a Canadian blogger, author, journalist, and TV host. She specializes in Goth and Harajuku fashion and Japanese pop culture,[1] and has been described as a "goth queen" by the South China Morning Post,[2] as well as "kind of adorable, in a somewhat bizarre way" by Andrea Walker in The New Yorker.[3] She appeared in one of the segments on the Tokyo episode of Bizarre Foods on Travel Channel.[4]

Early life

La Carmina was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. Her parents are from Hong Kong.[5] She attended Columbia University and graduated in three years.[6][7] She was accepted into Yale Law School at age 20[5] and graduated with a JD.[8]

Fashion Blogging

In September 2007, she began her La Carmina blog about alternative and Gothic fashion, travel and subcultures in Japan and worldwide. [9] [10][11][12] She is a professional blogger, and has cited sales of direct ads, Google AdSense, affiliate programs, sponsorships, RSS, search functions, and her YouTube videos as among her sources of income.[13] Her blog has been quoted in Boing Boing[14] and Women's Wear Daily.[15]

La Carmina is a journalist for CNNGo, where she contributes articles about Asian pop culture.[16][17] She is a travel journalist for Business Insider,[18][19] and also writes for AOL/Huffington Post Travel[20][21]

She was selected as one of the world's top fashion bloggers to attend LUISAVIAROMA's Firenze4Ever 2011 and 2012 events in Italy.[22][23][24][25]

La Carmina describes her sense of fashion as "Morticia Addams meets Hello Kitty," drawing from a mix of alternative styles.[26]

Alongside actor/model Sebastiano Serafini (with whom she has also contributed to LA Weekly), she released a line of t-shirts for their HOPE collaboration, with proceeds going to benefit Japanese earthquake and tsunami victims.[21][27] They also collaborated with jewelry designer Soho Hearts to create a panda bear Swarovski necklace to benefit Japan charities.[28] They worked together to raise money in Los Angeles for relief efforts in Japan, including the organization Doctors Without Borders.[29][30]

In 2012, she gave speeches at IFB Conference at New York Fashion Week,[31][32] Social Media Week in Hong Kong,[10][33] and PRSA Travel & Tourism Conference.[34][35]

Television

La Carmina between two bagel head recipients from a TV shoot arranged by La Carmina and the Pirates

La Carmina appeared in one of several segments on the Tokyo episode of Bizarre Foods, in which she and her friends dined with host Andrew Zimmern in a theme restaurant. According to Zimmern, the footage showcased the "exotic alternative lifestyles" of Tokyo and was originally intended for an episode of Bizarre World, but was later edited for inclusion in a Bizarre Foods episode instead, a process which refocused the segment onto the restaurant itself rather than the diners.[4]

La Carmina's work as a travel and pop culture TV host on international networks includes Norway TV,[36] CNNGo TV[37] and a Canal+ France documentary about Japanese subcultures alongside Antoine de Caunes.[38][39] Among her other hosting work includes shows for Food Network and Discovery Channel.[40] She will be the Asia host for educational travel TV series, Project Explorer.[41] She filmed with Discovery TV's Oddities, and did press trips to Maui, Berlin, Leipzig, and Prague to make travel videos.[42] She has also hosted travel videos for the Mexico Tourism Board[43][44] In 2011, she hosted, scripted, arranged, and field produced the show Coolhunting Weird Wisconsin for Huffington Post Travel TV. In the first episode, she gave a tour of Dodgeville theme hotel The Don Q Inn.[45][46]

Japanese broadcaster NHK filmed a 20-minute documentary about her work in blogging and cooking.[47][48] She was also the subject of an episode of NHK Kawaii TV.[28][40]

La Carmina and the Pirates

La Carmina has a coolhunting, TV production, and promotion company that provides film fixing services to broadcasters worldwide.[49] She was interviewed and featured in the Spanish book Coolhunting Digital.[50]

La Carmina and the Pirates did the legwork for National Geographic Channel's Taboo episode documenting the body modification known as the bagel head – which she also hosted.[51][52][53] She also hosted, translated, and arranged a show in Tokyo for National Geographic and Fuel TV.[21][54] She appeared on CBS' The Doctors to speak about extreme body mods.[2]

Books

La Carmina's first book, Cosmos in the Carrot, was published by Parallax Press. She made the deal without an agent, but was later taken on by a New York literary agency.[55][56] The book combines nutritional information and health advice with Buddhist notions of balance and moderation.[57]

In 2009, Perigee (a division of Penguin Books) published La Carmina's Cute Yummy Time, a cookbook based on Japanese "charaben" ("character bento"), a style of bento in which food is decorated to resemble animals, cartoon characters, and other such figures.[58] She took all the photos and drew illustrations for the book.[59] La Carmina's promotional tour included book signings in US cities[60][61] and an appearance on The Today Show.[5][62] The Guardian named Cute Yummy Time as one of the oddest book titles of the year,[63] and the Washington Post recommended it in Gift Guide.[64] Sarah DiGregorio of The Village Voice's "Fork in the Road" food blog wrote of Cute Yummy Time that "this kind of cute food (or kawaii food) seems less about eating and more about, well, looking cute and feminine while cutting food into elaborate shapes and not eating".[65]

Mark Batty Publisher released Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo in 2009, a hardcover book with full color photos.[66][67] In a review, The Vancouver Sun wrote, "Think of it less as a guidebook and more as a ghost train ride where whimsical, madcap and absurd images of some 30 theme restaurants materialize at every turn [...] Her tales flow effortlessly, with erudite explanations of what she sees in Tokyo's many subcultures [...] Brace yourself for a kitsch fix."[56]

Personal life

Lives with a blogging cat, Basil Yuen Farrow, previously owned by Ronan Farrow.[68][69]

Works

References

  1. ↑ Ohanesian, Liz (November 30, 2009). "Western Goth vs. Japanese Goth: La Carmina Explains the Difference at M/R/X-Wolfpak – Los Angeles Music – West Coast Sound". Blogs.laweekly.com. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Furniss, Tracey. "Goth Queen". South China Morning Post. Retrieved April 3, 2013. 
  3. ↑ Walker, Andrea (January 7, 2009). "The Book Bench: Dept. of Unusual Things". The New Yorker. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Zimmern, Andrew. "Tokyo: It's All About the Food « Bizarre Foods". Bizarre-blog.travelchannel.com. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "From Law to La Carmina". Audrey Magazine. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  6. ↑ "La Carmina (LaCarmina)". StoryOfMyLife.com. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  7. ↑ "Carmen Yuen '05 | Columbia College Today". College.columbia.edu. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  8. ↑ Walker, Andrea (January 7, 2009). "The Book Bench: Dept. of Unusual Things". The New Yorker. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  9. ↑ http://blog.giglio.com/en/meet-the-fashion-bloggers-la-carmina/
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 http://mochimag.com/2012/10/where-in-the-world-is-la-carmina/
  11. ↑ "La Carmina". Mookychick.co.uk. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  12. ↑ "Our Gothic Lolita Is La Carmina: A Famous Harajuku Girl". Tokyotopia.com. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  13. ↑ "Professional Blogger Spotlight: La Carmina | Independent Fashion Bloggers". Heartifb.com. November 30, 2010. Retrieved September 8, 2011. 
  14. ↑ Katayama, Lisa (December 14, 2009). "Why it's time to lighten up about "weird" Japan – Boing Boing". Boingboing.net. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  15. ↑ "Fall '09 Japanese Goth Trend: Good Mourning – Trends – Fashion". WWD.com. May 6, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  16. ↑ "La Carmina". CNNGo.com. August 31, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2011. 
  17. ↑ "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Web.archive.org. July 17, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2011. 
  18. ↑ http://www.animeevolution.com/?p=5522
  19. ↑ http://jumpforjournalism.wordpress.com/2013/07/21/interview-la-carmina-tv-host-blogger-author-and-journalist/
  20. ↑ "Travel Writers: La Carmina". Rolfpotts.com. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 "AArisings – Alternative Fashion Blogger La Carmina A-Profiled". Liveweb.archive.org. Retrieved September 5, 2011. 
  22. ↑ vogue.it (November 15, 2010). "Firenze4Ever Chapter III". Vogue.it. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  23. ↑ "Luxury Shopping Worldwide Shipping". Luisaviaroma. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  24. ↑ modaonline.it (2011). "Luisa Via Roma. Torna lo Style Lab di Firenze4Ever". modaonline.it. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  25. ↑ http://www.luisaviaroma.com/landing.aspx?page=firenze4ever-4edition
  26. ↑ "Blogger Inspiration: La Carmina". collegefashion.net. August 6, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2011. /
  27. ↑ "project HOPE". Brutal.jp. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 http://www.fashionzest.com/interview/interview-la-carmina-fashion-blogger/
  29. ↑ Ohanesian, Liz (March 31, 2011). "Actor and Model Sebastiano Serafini and Writer La Carmina on the 9.0 Earthquake in Japan – Los Angeles Art – Style Council". Blogs.laweekly.com. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  30. ↑ "La Carmina and Sebastiano Serafini: Fundraising for Japan in Los Angeles – Los Angeles – Slideshows". Laweekly.com. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  31. ↑ http://thefashionpoet.com/post/42505291590/back-in-the-day-a-special-collaboration-with-la
  32. ↑ http://heartifb.com/2012/02/13/2012-ifb-con-wrap-up/
  33. ↑ http://socialmediaweek.org/blog/smw_speaker/la-carmina/
  34. ↑ http://www.prsa.org/Conferences/TravelTourism/Archive/2012/Presentations/index.html
  35. ↑ http://www.frequency.com/video/pr-newswire-mutivu-at-prsa-travel/50239336/-/5-185741
  36. ↑ "Professional Blogger Spotlight: La Carmina | Independent Fashion Bloggers". Heartifb.com. November 30, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  37. ↑ "CNNGo TV: Tokyo part 2". CNNGo.com. June 15, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  38. ↑ "ANTOINE DE CAUNES, FRENCH TV HOST OF EUROTRASH & CANAL PLUS DOCUMENTARY. ODAIBA DINNER BOAT CRUISE & KARAOKE, TOKYO BAY. | LA CARMINA. Gothic Lolita Punk † Cute Girls Japanese fashion † Tokyo Japan street style † Visual Kei Jrock bands". Lacarmina.com. June 18, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  39. ↑ "Deathrayweekly.Com". Deathrayweekly.Com. July 11, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 http://www.asiancemagazine.com/2011/10/17/host-blogger-la-carmina
  41. ↑ "Answerphone: Interview with La Carmina | Tokyo Telephone – Your Direct Line to the Real Japan". Tokyo Telephone. Retrieved September 5, 2011. 
  42. ↑ http://www.backpacksandbunkbeds.co.uk/travel-blogger-interviews/lacarmina/
  43. ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/la-carmina/gothic-mexico-mazatlans-d_b_1319192.html
  44. ↑ http://conversationswithbianca.com/2012/01/31/la-carmina/
  45. ↑ "La Carmina's Super Cute Birthday @ Mr. Black LA – Los Angeles – Slideshows". Laweekly.com. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  46. ↑ "Coolhunting Weird Wisconsin Ep 1: Bondage Beds at the Don Q Inn". Huffingtonpost.com. August 21, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  47. ↑ "Interview with La Carmina". the Whiskey Dregs. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  48. ↑ "From Law to La Carmina". Audrey Magazine. Retrieved September 5, 2011. 
  49. ↑ "Professional Blogger Spotlight: La Carmina | Independent Fashion Bloggers". Heartifb.com. November 30, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2011. 
  50. ↑ Anna María López López (2011). Coolhunting digital, a la caza de las últimas tendencias. Spain: ANAYA Multimedia. pp. 29–32. ISBN 978-84-415-2934-2. 
  51. ↑ http://blog.japantimes.co.jp/japan-pulse/bagel-head-trend-is-a-big-distortion/#more-15178
  52. ↑ http://www.mstarz.com/articles/5300/20120929/bagel-head-trend-japanese-claim-western-media-distorts-and-glorifies-a-nonexistent-fashion-fad.htm
  53. ↑ "Ke Alaka'i – BYU-Hawaii Student News Lab – "Bagel Heads" become Japanese beauty trend". Kealakai.byuh.edu. October 12, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2012. 
  54. ↑ "Blogger Inspiration: La Carmina – College Fashion". Collegefashion.net. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  55. ↑ Vancouver, The (August 30, 2008). "Booking a daate with her destiny". Canada.com. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  56. ↑ 56.0 56.1 Hyslop, Lucy (August 1, 2009). "Tour the bizarre eateries of Tokyo with La Carmina". Web.archive.org. Retrieved September 5, 2011. 
  57. ↑ "Carmen Yuen '05 | Columbia College Today". College.columbia.edu. Retrieved September 5, 2011. 
  58. ↑ "Metro – It's as cute as a button mushroom". Web.archive.org. Retrieved September 5, 2011. 
  59. ↑ Penguin Blog (USA) – Penguin Group (USA) (February 22, 1999). "Cute Yummy Time, La Carmina | Penguin Blog (USA) – Penguin Group (USA)". Us.penguingroup.com. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  60. ↑ November 27, 2009  (November 27, 2009). "Cute Yummy Time: Go ahead, play with your food - latimes.com". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  61. ↑ "Photos from La Carmina's L.A. Book Signings at Giant Robot & Kinokuniya!". Mark Batty Publisher. December 3, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  62. ↑ "La Carmina". CNNGo.com. August 31, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  63. ↑ Alison Flood (February 5, 2010). "Bondage for Beginners vies with Origin of Faeces as contenders line up for oddest title prize | Books | guardian.co.uk". London: The Guardian. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  64. ↑ "Holiday Guide 2009: Gifts – Cookbooks for 2009". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  65. ↑ Sarah DiGregorio (September 18, 2011). "The Cute Food Movement: Cute Yummy Time". blogs.villagefoice.com/forkintheroad/. Retrieved September 8, 2011. 
  66. ↑ "Crazy Wacky Theme Restaurants Tokyo". Weirdnews.about.com. May 27, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  67. ↑ "La Carmina Tours Astonishing Japanese Eateries in "Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo"". Mark Batty Publisher. August 13, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  68. ↑ "Scottish Fold Cat". Retrieved October 27, 2013. 
  69. ↑ "Daily Dish". Retrieved October 27, 2013. 
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