La Carmina | |
---|---|
Born | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
Nationality | Canadian |
Education | Columbia University (BA) Yale Law School (JD) |
Occupation(s) | Author, journalist, writer, blogger, TV host |
Website | www |
La Carmina is a Canadian blogger, author, journalist, and TV host. She specializes in Goth and Harajuku fashion and Japanese popular culture. She has been described by Qantas as "one of the best-known names in the blogging world, having authored three books and hosting travel segments for international television networks." [1] She also appeared in one of the segments on the Tokyo episode of Bizarre Foods on Travel Channel. [2]
La Carmina was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Her parents are from Hong Kong. [3] She attended Columbia University and then proceeded to Yale Law School, graduating with a JD. [4] [5] [6] [7]
In September 2007, she began her La Carmina blog about alternative and Gothic fashion, travel and subcultures in Japan and worldwide. [8] [9] [10] [11] [7] [12] She is a professional blogger, and her blog has been quoted in Boing Boing, [13] Women's Wear Daily, [14] and the New York Times. [15] It won Auxiliary Magazine's Best Blog of 2016 award. [16] [17]
She is a writer for publications including The New York Times, National Geographic, Travel + Leisure, Time Magazine, [18] [19] and Business Insider, [20] [21] Previously, she was a journalist for CNNGo, where she contributed articles about Asian pop culture, [22] [23] and also wrote for AOL/Huffington Post Travel, [24] [25] Fodor's Travel, [26] Roadtrippers, [27] as well as The Sunday Times and Hong Kong Express Magazine. [28] [29] In 2020, she won a Lowell Thomas travel journalism award from the Society of American Travel Writers. [30] [31]
She was selected as one of the world's top fashion bloggers to attend Luisa Via Roma's Firenze4Ever 2011 and 2012 events in Italy. [32] [33] [34] [35] She has given speeches at IFB Conference at New York Fashion Week, [36] [37] Social Media Week in Hong Kong, [9] [38] PRSA Travel & Tourism Conference, [39] [40] and PechaKucha Tokyo. [41] In 2020, she gave the first TEDx talk about goths. [42] [43] In 2016, she was invited to the World Tourism Forum in Istanbul as one of the top travel influencers. [44]
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. [2]
La Carmina's work as a travel and pop culture TV host on international networks includes Norway TV, [45] CNNGo TV [46] and a Canal+ France documentary about Japanese subcultures alongside Antoine de Caunes. [47] [48] Among her other hosting work includes shows for Food Network and Discovery Channel. [49] She filmed with Discovery TV's Oddities, and did press trips to Maui, Berlin, Leipzig, and Prague to make travel videos. [12] [50] She has also hosted travel videos for the Mexico Tourism Board [51] [52] 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. [53] [54] [7]
Japanese broadcaster NHK filmed a 20-minute documentary about her work in blogging and cooking. [55] She was also the subject of an episode of NHK Kawaii TV. [49]
She has been interviewed about Japanese and American theme cafes by ABC Nightline. [56]
She has a travel video series published by Business Insider. Locations include Maldives, Israel, Bangkok, Mexico, Abu Dhabi, and more. [29]
Alongside Henry Winkler and William Shatner, she appeared on an episode of NBC's Better Late Than Never. [57] [17]
La Carmina has a coolhunting, TV production, and promotion company that provides film fixing services to broadcasters worldwide. [58] She was interviewed and featured in the Spanish book Coolhunting Digital. [59]
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. [60] [61] [62] She also hosted, translated, and arranged a show in Tokyo for National Geographic and Fuel TV. [25] [63] She appeared on CBS' The Doctors to speak about extreme body mods. [64]
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. [65] She took all the photos and drew illustrations for the book. [66] La Carmina's promotional tour included book signings in US cities [67] [68] and an appearance on The Today Show. [69] The Guardian named Cute Yummy Time as one of the oddest book titles of the year, [70] and the Washington Post recommended it in Gift Guide. [71] 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". [72]
Mark Batty Publisher released Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo in 2009, a hardcover book with full color photos. [73] [74] 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." [75] [7]
Released on October 25, 2022, she has written The Little Book of Satanism , published by Ulysses Press and Simon & Schuster. [76] [77] It is said to "[examine] the history and culture of Satanism, including “lurid conspiracy theories about serial killers and ritual abuse", and showing "why many Satanists today stand up for free inquiry and personal liberty,” according to the publisher. [78] [79] [80] According to Fodor's, "With the open-minded curiosity of any good traveler, La Carmina explores the history, culture, and practices of greatly misunderstood modern-day Satanists [...] the little volume packs a mighty punch, examining Satan’s mighty and often affirmative influence throughout the ages and across the world." [81]
Part of La Carmina's branding includes incorporating her Scottish Fold cat, Basil Farrow, into her promotion and media appearances. [82]
Kawaii(Japanese: かわいい or 可愛い, [kawaiꜜi]; "cute" or "adorable") is a Japanese cultural phenomenon which emphasizes cuteness, childlike innocence, charm, and simplicity. Kawaii culture began to flourish in the 1970s, driven by youth culture and the rise of cute characters in manga and anime and merchandise, exemplified by the creation of Hello Kitty by Sanrio in 1974. The kawaii aesthetic is characterized by soft or pastel colors, rounded shapes, and features which evoke vulnerability, such as big eyes and small mouths, and has become a prominent aspect of Japanese popular culture, influencing entertainment, fashion, advertising, and product design.
Toshiyuki Araki, better known as Hirohiko Araki, is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his long-running series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, which began publication in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1987 and has over 120 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series in history.
Yurina Kumai is a Japanese pop singer and fashion model. She is a member of Berryz Kobo and former member of Hello! Project Kids. Her signature color is green.
Airi Suzuki is a Japanese singer, actress, model, and radio personality associated with Up-Front Works. In 2002, she joined Hello! Project as a member of Hello! Project Kids and later debuted as the lead vocalist of the Japanese idol girl group Cute in 2005. Throughout her singing career, Suzuki also became a vocalist for the girl group Buono! From June 2015 onwards, she became an exclusive model for the fashion magazine Ray.
Melody Ishikawa, known mononymously as Melody, stylized as melody., is a Japanese American J-pop singer. She debuted in February 2003 with the song "Dreamin' Away", under Toy's Factory. In October 2008, Melody announced on her blog ending her career as a music artist to focus on pursuing a career as a fashion designer.
Fashion blogs are blogs that cover the fashion industry, clothing, and lifestyle related topics.
Erika Umeda is a Japanese singer and former model. She was a member of the Japanese idol girl group ZYX and Cute up until departing to pursue a solo career in modeling. In 2013, she returned to her music career with the release of her debut solo single "Crush On You."
Cheng Yan Yan Wendy, better known by her pseudonym Xiaxue, is a Singaporean blogger and online television personality who writes about her life, fashion and local issues in a provocative style. Her main blog, which attracts about 50,000 readers daily, has won prestigious blog awards and earned her sponsorship deals, as well as stints as a columnist and TV show host, but some of her posts have sparked national controversies.
Lee Anne Wong is an American chef, restaurateur, a television culinary producer, and television figure. She has appeared as a competitor on reality television cooking competitions, and she is a Top Chef television series alum. Wong was based in New York City, before moving to Hawaii in 2013. She has also worked extensively as a culinary producer for American television series, including for four seasons of Top Chef.
Remo Camerota, is an English-Australian visual artist and film director. He has been exhibiting in the arts since 1992, when he also started a fine art degree at Swinburne University, Melbourne.
Camila McConaughey is a Brazilian-American model and designer. She is married to American actor Matthew McConaughey.
Carolina Engman is a Swedish fashion blogger, model and stylist. Engman started her blog entitled 'FashionSquad' in April 2006. She has been featured by magazines like Teen Vogue, NYLON Japan, Vogue Girl Korea, Vogue Germany and Elle Spain.
Sebastiano Serafini is an Italian singer, songwriter, actor, and model. Serafini has worked in different countries including Hong Kong, Japan, Italy, Germany, and Thailand – where he made an appearance as the final MC at the 2013 You2Play Awards. He played a recurring role as the otaku Luca in the Japanese TV drama series Nihonjin no Shiranai Nihongo, and was in the drama Pompei as the son of Girolamo Panzetta. Serafini first began modeling at the age of 15. He is also the co-founder of Unlisted Community, the founder of a video game studio in Tokyo called Serafini Productions and the author of several digital manga, including UNSUBSCRIBERS and YTHS,
Kiriko Takemura, known professionally as Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, is a Japanese tarento, singer, and model. Her public image is associated with Japan's kawaii and decora culture, centered in the Harajuku neighborhood of Tokyo. Kyary's music is produced by musician Yasutaka Nakata of electronic music duo Capsule.
World's Weirdest Restaurants is a Canadian reality television series produced by Paperny Entertainment that airs on Food Network Canada. The series follows host Bob Blumer as he travels the world searching for weird and unusual restaurants. Several of the Japan episodes featured TV host and arranger La Carmina, who wrote a book about bizarre Tokyo theme restaurants. Among the restaurants featured include a nudist restaurant in New York, a Japanese restaurant with monkey waiters, and Taiwanese restaurant which serves curry from miniature toilets. The series, which premiered April 4, 2012, has filmed in a number of cities around the world, including Tokyo, New York, Taipei, London and Vancouver.
Malini Agarwal, also known as MissMalini, is an Indian digital influencer, TV host, entrepreneur, and author. She began her career as a radio jockey at Radio One in Mumbai, India, and later served as the head of digital content for Channel [v] India. In 2008, she established her blog, MissMalini.com, where she covers topics related to Bollywood, Indian television, fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. Aside from radio and her blog, she has also guest anchored several television shows, including CNN-IBN's Tech Toyz and UTV Bindass' Style Police, as well as several seasons of her own show, MissMalini's World on TLC, Inside Access with MissMalini on Vh1 Kya Scene Hai on Zoom, Feet Up With the Stars on Voot.
Misha Janette is an American fashion journalist, fashion director and fashion blogger, based in Tokyo. She is best known for her unique personal style, that has made her a fashion personality in Japan.
Chiara Ferragni is an Italian blogger, businesswoman, fashion designer and model who has collaborated with fashion and beauty brands through her blog The Blonde Salad.
Molly Yeh is an American cookbook author, restaurateur, and blogger who is the host of the Food Network cooking show Girl Meets Farm.
The Little Book of Satanism: A Guide to Satanic History, Culture & Wisdom is a 2022 nonfiction book by author La Carmina about Satanism’s historical evolution and religious practices. The book includes a foreword by Lucien Greaves, the spokesperson and co-founder of The Satanic Temple.
{{cite web}}
: Cite uses generic title (help)Media related to La Carmina at Wikimedia Commons