For immediate release JY&A Media

Contacts: Jack Yan, Publisher (Wellington) Lucire T 64 4 387-3213, F 64 4 387-3213 E jack.yan@jyanet.com	Ann Fryer, Associate Publisher (New York) Lucire T 1 203 979-6166 E ann.fryer@lucire.com
Monica Waldron, London correspondent Lucire E monica.waldron@lucire.com	Elyse Glickman, US West Coast Editor Lucire T 1 310 497-7157 E elyse.glickman@lucire.com

Miss Sweden’s Kiwi connections

Wellington and Göteborg, April 9 (JY&A Media) Lucire publisher Jack Yan is judging two beauty pageants this year: both Miss Universe New Zealand, at which he has served since 2007, and Miss Sweden, on which he is working for the first time.
   Mr Yan chairs the international jury currently reviewing the résumés of the Miss Sweden entrants before the winner is voted by the Swedish public.
   There’s another Kiwi connection, too: former Miss New Zealand Laural Barrett of Christchurch is on the jury.
   Others serving include highly respected Finnish journalist Rita Tainola-Tapiovaara, and Swedish-born, Brussels-based communications’ consultant Anne Björck.
   Mr Yan says his experience with Miss Sweden differs markedly from Miss New Zealand.
   ‘In New Zealand we subject the entrants to an exhaustive interviewing process—up to 20 minutes per contestant. In Sweden we begin with reviewing very detailed résumés and profiles, which the entrants themselves write, and we have to form judgements on how suitable the candidate is as a role model.’
   Additionally, Miss Sweden, under its owner Panos Papadopoulos, abandoned the swimwear segment some years ago. Mr Papadopoulos says he failed to see the relevance of girls wearing next to nothing while being questioned by judges.
   The irony is that Mr Papadopoulos is the head of Scandinavia’s leading swimwear label, Panos Emporio (http://www.panos.com).
   Sweden’s modern approach has seen winners such as Josephine Alhanko, who held two masters’ degrees when she won the contest in 2005.
   Mr Yan says he is very impressed already by the entrants, who are a few years older than the norm in New Zealand.
   ‘In our preliminary sessions, we have already seen law graduates, holders of postgraduate degrees and entrepreneurs. I wouldn’t be surprised, at this rate, if we encountered a Ph.D.,’ he says.
   ‘I doubt Sweden will have a winner who’s going to blog about Guantanamo Bay being a summer paradise,’ he joked, referring to a blog post made by the reigning Miss Universe, Dayana Mendoza.
   Although the Miss Sweden finals will be at the end of April, he says they will not conflict with his duties at Miss Universe New Zealand’s final on Anzac Day.
   Mr Yan and Miss Barrett both have connections to Sweden aside from the pageant. Mr Yan is a director of a think-tank, the Medinge Group, which holds its summits to the west of Stockholm. Miss Barrett, who won Miss New Zealand in 2007, is signed to the Bell Hughes Music Group, which has a presence in Sweden.

Images
Images for this release may be downloaded at <http://jya.net/090409pr0.htm>.

About Lucire
Lucire, the global fashion magazine (www.lucire.com), started on the web in 1997. In October 2004, it became the first magazine in its sector to extend its brand into a print magazine. By May 2005, it became the first web magazine to spawn international print editions. Lucire became the first fashion industry partner of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP, www.unep.org). In 2008, it launched a mobile edition. It is headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand. For business information, see <http://www.lucire.net>.

About Jack Yan
Jack Yan founded Jack Yan & Associates (http://jya.net), one of the world’s first virtual firms, in 1987. His company is based or represented in over a dozen countries worldwide. Among his company’s interests are business consulting, imaging, software and media, including the fashion magazine brand Lucire. He writes on topics, ranging from branding and business responsibility to fashion and typography, in numerous publications worldwide and is a regular international speaker. His personal site is at www.jackyan.com, and features a highly regarded blog. He is a director of the Medinge Group (http://medinge.org), a think-tank in Sweden devoted to cutting-edge branding.

About Laural Barrett
Laural Barrett was born in 1986 and spent her childhood in Christchurch. Laural and her identical twin sister, Sharaine, have long been keen singer-songwriters, and signed with musical management in Auckland when they were just 15 years old. She went on to enter and win Miss Universe New Zealand in 2007. Since then Laural has represented New Zealand in the international Miss Universe pageant, travelled internationally on photo shoots and featured on TV2’s Shock Treatment. She is currently working towards progressing her musical career and is currently signed, with her sister, to Bell Hughes Music Group. Her website can be found at <http://lauralb.com> or <http://laural-barrett.com>.

Notes to editors
Lucire is a registered trade mark of Jack Yan & Associates and subject to protection in certain jurisdictions. Nya Fröken Sverige and Panos Emporio are registered trade marks of Panos Emporio AB and subject to protection in certain jurisdictions. All other trade marks are the properties of their respective owners and are only used in a descriptive fashion without any intention to infringe.

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