Category Archive for La Carmina Clothing Line
NEW CLOTHING LINE! LA CARMINA & AKUMU INK GOTH T-SHIRT FASHION COLLABORATION. JAPANESE ALICE IN WONDERLAND, AVAILABLE IN ONLINE STORE.
Ladies and gentleman… introducing my new clothing line! A J-horror/kawaii collaboration with Montreal company Akumu Ink!
Akumu Ink’s designs are “inspired by everything coming out of Japan from its cute pop icons to its terrifying horror movies.” They sent me three spooky-Goth t-shirts, which I adored (remember this and this post?) The creative wheels began turning…
… and in record time, we had two prints ready to launch!
† La Carmina Portrait (first photo): Your Harajuku-Goth fashion blogger/author and her Scottish Fold cat, Basil Farrow. His fold-ears are simply perfect; Basil’s worried expression, heart-shaped nose and jutting fang are too cute for words! I love the Gothic details: skull/cake hat, stickers around my eyes, key necklace. (White ink; black/red/grey/purple background.)
† Carmina in Wonderland (second photo): Basil Farrow as an earless Cheshire Cat, grinning and pouring me tea. In tribute to Alice and Gothloli fashion, I wear a lace headdress and lace-up rocking horse shoes. (Gold ink; black background.)
† All shirts and hoodies are available in MENS and WOMENS sizes (S to XXL). There is an optional ‘La Carmina x Akumu Ink’ print on the back.
† T-shirts are $21.99-$23.99; hoodies are $48.50.
† All items ship internationally — and are available to order now from Akumu Ink’s website!
I hope you like the new fashion collection: you’re getting the first peek and opportunity to order! Very soon, you’ll find Akumu Ink x La Carmina in international retail stores. We’ll also be showcasing the designs at MAGIC clothing tradeshow in Vegas — hope to see you there.
To order, visit the Akumu Ink website and click on the shirt/hoodie you desire. Wholesalers, if you’re interested in carrying the clothes in your stores, contact me and we will send you line sheets/prices. Any questions? Email me or let me know in comments.
Song of the Day #284: Deluhi – Orion Once Again live (suggested by Regi)
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LA CARMINA IN WOMEN'S WEAR DAILY: JAPANESE GOTHIC LOLITA ARTICLE, VALERIE STEELE WWD.
As Basil Farrow would say: “Wahh!” I’m in today’s Women’s Wear Daily – the fashion trade journal sometimes called “the bible of fashion” – quoted along FIT’s Valerie Steele and Japanese Goth author Tiffany Godoy!
The cover story is about dark glamour on the runways, the influence of Goth on couture, and the “Japanese take” that has “refreshed it.” Below is the section that quotes me; you can read the entire article on WWD.
Fall ’09 Japanese Goth Trend: Good Mourning
by VENESSA LAU
Posted WEDNESDAY MAY 06, 2009
From WWD ISSUE 05/06/2009
“Western Goth responds to a lot of religious imagery and potentially controversial connotations,” explains La Carmina, who’s made a career out of blogging about the Gothic Lolita culture on lacarmina.com. “Whereas in Japan, it’s just an aesthetic. It’s all visual, without the context.” She points to other examples of similarly co-opted looks: Japan’s popular rockabilly or American surf style. “Can you imagine?” remarks Carmina. “California-style board shorts — in Japan?” Even though the Gothic Lolita look isn’t exactly bum-rushing Western shores, it’s begun to filter over. The popular style guide “Gothic & Lolita Bible” — part fashion glossy, part McCall’s pattern book — just launched an English version last year. (Available at Barnes & Noble and Borders, spring 2009 is “The Wedding Issue.”) This August, the Japanese entertainment distributor VIZ Pictures is opening a multistory “J-Pop Center” in San Francisco, which will include a cinema, bookstore and Gothic Lolita shop. The sweet Lolita label Baby, The Stars Shine Bright, meanwhile, has announced plans to open up a store in that city as well. (There’s already one in Paris on 72 Avenue Ledru Rollin.) And Faoflex, an Italian eyewear company, is launching a line called Dandy’s Collection later this month, with one style dubbed Gothic Lolita.
Carmina herself is another example. The Vancouver native, with a BA from Columbia and a law degree from Yale, lives between New York and Tokyo, has a Goth cooking show on YouTube and just launched a capsule collection of Loli-Goth-style coats. Also in the pipeline: a collaboration with London Underground shoes and two book projects. “I go to Gothic club nights,” she adds, “and every single time, there are more and more people. It seems like things are only going to get bigger.” Come March 2010, GothLoli even goes Hollywood; Tim Burton is coming out with his own spin on “Alice in Wonderland.”
Some notes…
† The models are wearing designs by Jeremy Laing, Staerk, A la disposition, Sass + Bide, and others. No Japanese designers, sadly.
† The article mentions my upcoming collaboration with London Underground Shoes, a hot LA-based brand known for its Gothic, subculture-influenced designs. I haven’t mentioned this yet, but I’m working hard and can’t wait to tell you more… “wahhh!”
† The last bit in the article about people going Goth because of the sinking economy – ridiculous! The interviewer asked me the question, and my response was the same as Valerie’s.
Don’t forget to bookmark or subscribe to this blog… there’s much more in the works. How about photos of every floor of the new Marui One, Swimmer, Fairy Kei shops in Harajuku, Midnight Mess, a Death Cookbook episode, and a new project involving my Scottish Fold cat, Basil Farrow? All together now: “Wahhh!”
Song of the Day #108: Rammstein – Engel (one of my fav bands as a teen.)
LA CARMINA
