Elle (magazine)

Hélène Gordon-Lazareff, Russian-born and Paris raised, started Elle in Paris as an immediate aftermath of World War II. It was first sold as a supplement to France-Soir, edited at the time by Hélène's husband, Pierre Lazareff. Hélène, Elle's pioneering founder, returned to Paris from New York City to create a unique publication that grappled with the many forces shaping the lives of women in France in 1945.[1] Women won the right to vote in 1944,[2] and Elle dove immediately into long-form "newspaper-like" features on women's role in national politics and the growing feminist movement.[3] In the Elle articles featuring rising fashion designers, the magazine would provide free patterns of some of their fashion pieces. This allowed the general public to experience haute couture as the glamour of the fashion world was becoming accessible to the common working class.[4]

Its 100th issue, published on 14 October 1947,[5] featured the work of Christian Dior just eight months after his debut show. Likewise, Brigitte Bardot had her first Elle cover at age 17, on 7 January 1952, months before her screen debut in Manina, the Girl in the Bikini. By the 1960s, Elle had a readership of 800,000 across France and was said to "not so much reflect fashion as decree it." This dominance was reflected in the famous slogan: "Si elle lit, elle lit Elle" 'If she reads, she reads Elle'.[6]

Lagardère Group subsidiary, Hachette Filipacchi Médias began pushing Elle outside of France in 1985, launching Elle in the UK and in the United States.[7] The Chinese version of the magazine was first published in 1988. It was the first four-color fashion magazine offered in China. The magazine was used as an informational and educational tool for opening of the Chinese textile market.[8][9] By 1991, the magazine's sales were in decline in the U.S.[10]

In 1987, ELLE Decoration have been launched in France by Lagardère Group. The internationalisation of the brand began in the USA with ELLE Decor launch, in 1989.

Elle.com was launched in 2007.[11]

In 2011, The Hearst Corporation reached a €651M deal with Lagardère to purchase the rights to publish Elle Magazine in fifteen countries including the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Russia and Ukraine.[12] Lagardère, which struggled in the international market in the 2000s, retained the rights to the French edition and would collect royalties from the international editions.[13]

Elle Brazil was the first commercial magazine in the world to have a transgender model on its cover, with Lea T. in December 2011. The Brazilian edition had also discovered transgender model Valentina Sampaio and had put her on the cover before French Vogue. Elle printed special collectors' covers for their September 2016 issue, and one of them featured Hari Nef, which was the first time an openly transgender woman had been on the cover of a major commercial British magazine.[14]

In 2019, Lagardère sold Elle France to Czech Media Invest, parent of Czech News Center.

Lagardère continues to own the Elle brand.[15]

Elle includes region-specific editions within countries, such as Elle Hong Kong and Elle Québec which are published in addition to Elle China and Elle Canada respectively. In Belgium, Elle is published as two magazines for the Flanders and Wallonia regions, while Elle Middle East is targeted at several countries in the region.[21] Technologically speaking, the Elle brand is a global network encompassing over 46 websites. Subscriptions account for 73 percent of readers in the USA. There are 46 Elle websites globally, which collectively attract over 100 million unique visitors.[22] The magazine reaches over 21 million readers. In the USA, the vast majority (82 percent) of Elle's audience are women between the ages of 18 and 49. Its readers have a median age of 34.7 years.[21] 40 percent of the readers are single, and the median household income is $69,973.[23] "Our readers are young enough to think about life as an adventure and old enough to have the means to live it", said Roberta Myers, editor in chief.[24]

The first international editions of Elle was launched in the U.S. and UK, in 1985.[25][26] Spain followed in 1986[27] with Italy and Hong Kong editions launching in 1987.[25] In 1988, the magazine was launched in Germany, Brazil, China, Sweden, Greece and Portugal. The next year, the Netherlands and Quebec joined the international Elle community. Australia and Taiwan versions were launched in 1990, Mexico and Argentina in 1994, and a Russian edition (closed now), published monthly, launched in 1996.[28]

Elle as a brand is owned by the Lagardère Group of France. It is published in France by Czech Media Invest, in the U.S. and the UK by Hearst Magazines, in Canada by KO Média, in Brazil by Grupo Editora Abril, in Mexico by Grupo Expansión, in Argentina by Grupo Clarín, in Indonesia by Mayapada, in Singapore by Atlas Press PTE LTD., in Serbia/Croatia by Adria Media, in Turkey by Doğan Burda Magazine,[29] in Germany by Hubert Burda Media, and in Romania by Ringier. In China, the publisher is Shanghai Translation Publishing House.[9] In India it is published by Ogaan Publications Pvt. Ltd. As an international magazine, Elle has its headquarters in Paris as well as licensed publishers in New York City, London, Toronto, Mexico City, South Africa, Istanbul, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brussels, Lisbon, Tokyo, Warsaw, Belgrade, Oslo, Helsinki, Bucharest, Athens, Delhi, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Jakarta, Kyiv, Kuala Lumpur, Sofia, Budapest, Bangkok and other cities.

In December 2013, Elle US hired Randy Minor as design director.[30] In November 2016, Elle Canada promoted Vanessa Craft to editor-in-chief, making her the first black woman at the helm of an Elle magazine globally.[31]

In mid-July 2020, Elle's Australian publisher Bauer Media Australia and New Zealand, which had been acquired by Mercury Capital, terminated the magazine's Australian edition, citing declining advertising revenue and travel restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.[32][33] As of 2021, Elle is being published by Are Media, the successor to Bauer Media Australia.[34]

At the end of 2021, ELLE announced that all global editions would ban fur from their pages as of Jan. 1, 2023, citing "a really great opportunity to increase awareness for animal welfare, bolster the demand for sustainable and innovative alternatives and foster a more humane fashion industry."[35] In recent years a number of fashion houses and retailers have discontinued the use of animal fur and skin in their products due to pressure from animal rights groups who are calling for more cruelty-free clothing options and changing tastes from younger, ethically minded customers.

Societal engagement has always been one of the key pillars of the ELLE brand. Since its launch in 1945, ELLE has always been alongside women, supporting and empowering them, defending their cause at the forefront of societal changes. Diversity, gender equity, sexuality, body positivity, or more broadly sustainability, environment and social responsibility… so many causes for which ELLE strives to make its voice - and above all that of its readers’ - heard, through its pages, its websites, social media or even its events.

• List of fashion magazines
• List of women's magazines
• Didier Guérin, executive in charge of new releases
• Category:Elle (magazine) writers

• Official website (in French)
• French Elle – magazine profile at Fashion Model Directory