Lucire (/luːˈtʃɪəreɪ/loo-CHEER-ay, Romanian:[luˈtʃire]; transl. "Glow") is a fashion magazine that originally began on the web in 1997, before adding a monthly print edition in its home country of New Zealand in 2004,[1] and is now published seasonally, with a monthly for licensees. It is the first fashion partner with the UNEP, an arrangement that began in 2003.[2] In 1999, Harper's Bazaar Australia listed Lucire in its "A-list of Style" supplement.[3] In 2018, Lucire was listed by StyleCaster as one of the "21 International Fashion Magazines That Should Be on Your Radar."[4] In 2022, LUXlife named Lucire its "Most Pioneering Online Fashion Magazine."[5]
At its launch, it was the second online fashion title in New Zealand (after Wellington Polytechnic's Fashionbrat), and the first commercial fashion magazine on the web there.[6] With Fashionbrat lasting only one issue, Lucire is the longest running online fashion magazine in New Zealand.[7] It claims to be the first fashion title to extend its brand from the internet into print,[8] and the first website to launch print editions in more than one country.[9]
Summer Rayne Oakes was made the US Editor in 2007 and subsequently editor-at-large. Stanley Moss serves as travel editor and Elyse Glickman its US west coast editor.[10] Sopheak Seng became its fashion editor in 2010.[11] Qurratulain Wahab edits Lucire KSA in Saudi Arabia.[12]Lucire was founded by Jack Yan, who continues to serve as publisher.[13]
When conceived, the name was not intended to have a meaning; it was only later that the team discovered it was a quaint Romanian term meaning 'the act of glowing or glittering'.[14]
In the early 2000s, Lucire covered new talent alongside more established names. It was one of the first publications to profile actress Gal Gadot,[15] designer Zac Posen,[16]MTV New Zealand presenter and former beauty queen Amber Peebles,[17] and numerous others. In 2003, it was the second-ever New Zealand website to be nominated for a Webby Award.[18]
Lucire launched its first international edition in Romania (helmed by Mirella and Valentin Lapusca) in May 2005,[20] claiming to be the first New Zealand fashion magazine to enter the continent, and the first webzine in the world to launch two print editions.[9] A Thai edition, Twinpalms Lucire, launched in 2008 in conjunction with Twinpalms Resort.[21] Additionally, Vox magazine in Qatar was briefly launched in conjunction with Lucire,[22] while a one-off Bahraini edition appeared in 2014.[23] In 2018 Lucire KSA was launched in Saudi Arabia, as a monthly English-language magazine. Lucire KSA is now supplied in the first and business classes of the national carrier Saudia, and in their airport lounges.[24]Lucire Rouge, a US edition, appeared in 2020, extending the magazine's coverage into wellness.[25] A French-language edition of Lucire KSA appeared in 2021.[26]
