Elle (magazine)

Elle (stylized in all caps) is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, and society and lifestyle. The title Elle means She in French. Elle is considered "one of the world's largest fashion and lifestyle publications", with 45 international editions totalling 33 million readers and receiving 100 million unique monthly visitors on its 55 digital platforms.

It was founded in Paris in 1945 by Hélène Gordon-Lazareff. The magazine's readership has grown since its founding, increasing to 800,000 across France by the 1960s. Elle editions have since multiplied, creating a global network of publications and readers. Elle's international expansion began with Elle UK and Elle USA launches in 1985. Previous magazine editors include Jean-Dominique Bauby for Elle France and Roberta Myers, the longest-serving editor-in-chief at Elle USA. Véronique Philipponnat is currently the director of Elle France. Nina Garcia currently holds the position of editor-in-chief at Elle USA, appointed after the departure of Roberta Myers. The Paris-based Lagardère Group owns the brand internationally. Elle France's official headquarters is located in Levallois-Perret, Greater Paris.

History
Hélène Gordon-Lazareff, Russian-born and Paris-raised, started Elle in Paris in the 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 women's lives in France in 1945. Women won the right to vote in 1944, and Elle dove immediately into long-form "newspaper-like" features on women's role in national politics and the growing feminist movement. Elle would "celebrate a new type of woman: independent, modern, active, comfortable in her own skin and her time". The first issue of Elle France was published on 21 November 1945 featuring Yolande Bloin on the cover dressed by Elsa Schiaparelli. Bloin was an actress in Jacques Becker's film Falbalas. The magazine had a circulation of 110,000 copies in 1945.

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.

Its 100th issue, published on 14 October 1947, 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.

On 2 April 1956, Grace Kelly appeared on the cover of Elle France, a few days before her marriage to Rainier III, Prince of Monaco. On 16 July 1956, Elle France featured Marilyn Monroe on the cover.

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)" (lit. "If she reads she reads She").

Lagardère Group subsidiary, Hachette Filipacchi Médias began pushing Elle outside of France in 1985, launching Elle in the UK and the United States. The Chinese version of the magazine was first published in 1988. It was the first four-colour fashion magazine offered in China. The magazine was an informational and educational tool for opening the Chinese textile market.

In 1987, Elle Decoration was launched in France by the Lagardère Group. The brand's internationalisation began in the US with the launch of Elle Decor in 1989.

By 1991, the magazine's sales were in decline in the U.S.

In 1995, the magazine circulated 5 million copies worldwide.

Elle.com was launched in 2007.

In 2011, 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. 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. By retaining ownership of the Elle brand in France and through licensing forms in 25 countries, Lagardère remained "the guarantor of brand consistency". The strategic decisions on Elle concerning the countries managed by Hearst would be "taken in close consultation" with Lagardère.

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 featured Hari Nef, the first time an openly transgender woman had been on the cover of a major commercial British magazine.

In April 2018, Lagardère Group sold Elle France to Daniel Křetínský via his holding company Czech Media Invest (CMI), parent of Czech News Center. Lagardère continues to own the Elle brand in France and internationally by granting a "license for the exploitation of magazines".

At the end of 2021, Elle announced that all global editions would ban fur from their pages as of 1 January 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."

Notable editors-in-chief
Elle editors have included Jean-Dominique Bauby in France, who became known for writing a book after suffering almost total paralysis, and Robbie Myers for the USA edition. In September 2017, it was announced that Roberta Myers was stepping down from the role of editor-in-chief of Elle USA, position she held since 2000, stating through a memo to the staff that "I want to spend the next seasons as available to my children as I can be, and so I take my leave of Elle now". A day later of the announcement, it was reported that Nina Garcia, creative director of Marie Claire was appointed as the new editor-in-chief effective 18 September. Patricia Wang was the first editor of Elle China. Véronique Philipponnat is the current director of Elle France.

Global operations
As of 2019, seventy-eight media licenses from the brand are available around the world: one Elle Girl, two Elle Men, five Elle à Table, twenty-five Elle Decoration, and forty-five Elle. According to François Coruzzi, CEO of Elle International, the magazine's centrals are located in Paris, London, and New York, and it has 29 offices worldwide as of 2019.

Technologically speaking, the Elle brand is a global network encompassing over 46 websites. Subscriptions account for 73 percent of readers in the USA. Websites and social networks compose Elle's 55 digital platforms.

The first international edition of Elle was launched in 1970 as An An Elle Japon.

In 1985 American Elle was launched with the first issue featuring supermodel Yasmin Le Bon on the cover. The magazine was jointly owned by Hachette and News Groups Publications (owned by Rupert Murdoch). The U.K. edition was also launched in 1985 and also featured Yasmin Le Bon on the cover.

In the US, the vast majority (82 per cent) of Elle's audience is women between 18 and 49. Its readers have a median age of 34.7 years. 40 percent of the readers are single, and the median household income is $69,973. "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.

Elle España was then launched in October 1986. Elle Italia and Elle Hong Kong were launched in 1987. The Italian publication went from a monthly publication to weekly publication in 2018.

Elle Brasil was launched in 1988 and 30 years later in 2018 the magazine was shuttered. In the same year Elle was also launched in China, Greece, Germany, Portugal and Sweden. However in 2021 the Portuguese edition was closed.

The following year in 1989 editions were launched for Quebec, The Netherlands and Switzerland. Australian and Taiwanese versions were launched in 1990. However in July 2020 Bauer Media Australia licence holder of the Australian edition announced its closure, citing declining advertising revenue and travel restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. In November 2020 the magazine returned in a digital only form. In September 2023 it was confirmed that the magazine would return to print in March 2024, published by Are Media, the successor to Bauer Media Australia.

Elle Korea was launched in November 1992. A year later in 1993 Elle Singapore was launched.

In 1994 Mexican, Argentine, Thai, Polish, and Czech editions were launched.

Elle Russia was launched in 1996 and the South African edition was also launched in the same year. The Russian edition was closed in 2022 after the licence was terminated due to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Alongside the Russian and South African editions Elle India launched in 1996.

Elle Romania and Elle Norge (Elle Norway) were launched in 1997.

A Turkish edition was launched in 1999.

Elle Canada, Elle Ukraine and Elle Hungary were all launched in 2001. In 2020 Elle Canada closed its office in Toronto but continued publication from Montreal.

In 2002 a Croatian edition was launched.

Elle launched in Belgium in 2003 in both French and Dutch.

The Serbian edition of Elle was launched in 2005 along with a Bulgarian edition. Elle Slovenia was also launched the same year.

In 2008 Elle Indonesia and Elle Finland launched. A Danish edition was also launched later in 2008.

A Vietnamese edition (Elle Phái đẹp) was launched in 2010, under a licence with Ringier, however it ceased publication in 2020. The magazine was later relaunched.

Elle Kazakhstan started publication in February 2015.

In February 2017 a digital edition launched for the Ivory Coast.

Elle Lithuania launched in February 2024, the magazine is published by the team who previously published L'Officiel Lithuania from 2010 till its closure in 2023.

Elle Egypt launched digitally in April 2024, a print edition will be launched in September of 2024.

Elle also publishes region-specific editions within countries, such as Elle Hong Kong and Elle Québec. Published in addition to Elle China and Elle Canada respectively. In Belgium since 2003, Elle is published as Elle Belgique (in French and for Wallonia) and Elle België (in Dutch for Flanders). Elle Middle East was launched in 2006 across the Middle East with Elle Oriental (published in Arabic and French for Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and the Maghreb). The two publications were later rebranded into Elle Arabia and the French edition was dropped.

Elle is a brand 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, in Serbia/Croatia by Adria Media, in Turkey by Doğan Burda Magazine, in Germany by Hubert Burda Media, and in Romania by Ringier. In China, the publisher is Shanghai Translation Publishing House. 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. 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.

Editors

 * Dina Spahi (Arabia)
 * Arlette Barrionuevo and Gabriela Silvestre (Argentina)
 * Grace O'Neill (Australia)
 * Marie Guérin (Belgium)
 * Susana Barbosa (Brazil)
 * Maria Georgieva (Bulgaria)
 * Joanna Fox (Canada)
 * Sun Zhe (China)
 * Barbara Häckelová (Czechia)
 * Cecilie Ingdal (Denmark)
 * Susan Sabet (Egypt)
 * Véronique Philipponnat (France)
 * Sabine Nedelchev (Germany)
 * Maria Patoucha (Greece)
 * Winnie Wan (Hong Kong)
 * Ruben William Steven (Indonesia)
 * Ainee Ahmedi (India)
 * Massimo Russo (Italy)
 * Mika Kowaki (Japan)
 * Dana Lee (Kazakhstan)
 * Eun Mi Chae (Korea)
 * Irina Sinė (Lithuania)
 * Claudia Cándano (Mexico)
 * Anke de Jong (Netherlands)
 * Petra Middelthon (Norway)
 * Marta Tabiś-Szymanek (Poland)
 * Sophie Banford (Quebec)
 * Roxana Voloseniuc (Romania)
 * Teodora Bogdanovic (Serbia)
 * Caroline Suganda (Singapore)
 * Benedetta Poletti (Spain)
 * Elina Grothén (Sweden)
 * Kayt Hush (Taiwan)
 * Kenya Hunt (United Kingdom)
 * Nina García (United States)
 * Svitlana Kravchenko (Ukraine)
 * Lien Chi Nguyen (Vietnam)

Other markets
In the 1980s, Elle signed an agreement with the Japanese Itokin, a group based in Osaka specialising in ready-to-wear. Elle has been selling its lingerie in Japan for over forty years through licensing agreements. Elle has over 150 partners in 80 countries, all paying royalties to the brand. Elle has more than 3,000 stores worldwide, mainly in Asia. Under the Elle brand, there are around ten cafés, hair salons and spas. The brand also sells fashion, beauty and home decor products.

Nissan and Elle collaborated and unveiled the Nissan Micra Elle in September 2012, a limited-edition car specially designed for women.

The brand has also been launched in the hospitality industry. In 2023, the fashion magazine opened its first hotel, Maison Elle, on the 17th of Paris. Other Elle Hotel projects have been announced for Mexico and around fifteen high-end hotels in the heart of cities that would open in the next ten years.