Kiwi Fashion Site Lucire Goes Into Print

From web to print: Kiwi fashion site Lucire takes on the world in a new medium

New Zealand’s own ‘global fashion magazine’ plans to take 10 per cent of its first print market

Wellington, June 26 (JY&A Media) Is it possible for a web site not only to become a print magazine, but to take 10 per cent of that market? It’s what fashion title Lucire (www.lucire.com) aims to do, after seven years online.

Last week in Women’s Wear Daily, the New York fashion trade bible, Sara James called Lucire, ‘another Kiwi invasion,’ equating it to ‘the New Zealand onslaught at the Oscars’.

Lucire publisher Jack Yan admits that it’s a gamble. Come October 4, 2004, Lucire’s international team will find out for sure, with a monthly—New Zealand’s first—that Mr Yan estimates could take nine to ten per cent of the women’s interest market.

He believes that it’s time New Zealand has a global entrant in fashion publishing. In 2005, Lucire plans roll-outs in other countries, potentially with licensing publishers.

It’s also the first Carbon Neutral fashion magazine: Lucire will plant trees in association with Future Forests to neutralize the carbon dioxide generated in production.

Already, the magazine claims more people type in its URL than vogue.com.

Lucire is banking on its experience, its global network, and what it believes to be a growing phenomenon of readers who have become accustomed to the global coverage on the internet. The same flavour, promises Mr Yan, will be retained in the print edition.

To silence the doubters, the Lucire editorial team has already released a prototype, downloadable by the public, at its web site. The prototype is, in Mr Yan’s words, ‘what Lucire would have been like if we had published in print on April 15.’ It is a full 108-page ‘May 2004 edition’ that had been designed to identify bottlenecks and whether the company had the requisite expertise.

It has so far received mostly positive comments, both from industry and existing readers. An August prototype will be released to address concerns that arose in May. By October, Lucire ‘hits the ground running,’ says Mr Yan. ‘We will do this country proud.’

Nicola Brockie, the magazine’s Beauty Editor for Australasia, will helm the début issue. Mr Yan promises credibility and honesty from his team, hence the appointment of ‘real women, not celebrity editors’.

The web team is retained for the print edition, while additional members have been brought on board, including Wendy Henderson as Style Editor, Amanda Dorcil as Chief Photographer and Lisa Tardrew as Director of Advertising.

Lucire started in 1997, initially as an Asia-Pacific-focused title, before expanding its coverage to a global one in 1998. In 2003, it received a Webby Award nomination, the second New Zealand-headquartered site to be so honoured. It was also named as the United Nations Environment Programme’s first fashion industry partner that year.

About Lucire

Lucire, the global fashion magazine, is one of the world’s leading fashion titles online. Founded in 1997, it covers fashion, beauty, travel and lifestyle, with a global perspective for today’s woman. It is known for providing in-depth, quality journalism.

The magazine is targeted at the woman who is tired of the offerings from established fashion players, and chooses to be herself. Lucire is available at . In 2003, Lucire received a Webby Award nomination—the only New Zealand site to do so that year—and became the first fashion industry partner of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP, ). It was Official Internet Partner of L’Oréal New Zealand Fashion Week for 2002–3, and is a media sponsor of the inaugural San Francisco Fashion Week and Official Media Partner of Stockholm FashionDays for 2004–5. A print edition launches in the New Zealand market in October 2004.

According to Alexa, Lucire is one of the top-ranked pure-play fashion titles in the world.

About Future Forests

Future Forests is a small, vibrant business that helps companies and individuals take positive action on climate change through the CarbonNeutral brand. Clients range from O2 to MTV and the United Nations to Avis and Coldplay. The proposition is simple—Future Forests measures carbon dioxide emissions of clients, and balances them through investing into tree-planting and renewable energy projects, thus making companies, individuals, bands, etc. CarbonNeutral. Importantly, it then works to design communications campaigns that deliver value and business benefits to clients.

Note to editors

Lucire is a registered trademark of Jack Yan & Associates and subject to protection in certain jurisdictions. Carbon Neutral is a registered trademark of Future Forests. All other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners and are only used in a descriptive fashion without any intention to infringe. This press release includes forward-looking information and statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These statements are only effective as of the date of this release and we undertake no duty to publicly update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

© Scoop Media