Elle (magazine)

ELLE
	File:Elle logo.svg Logo of ELLE magazine
Company type	Magazine
Industry	Fashion, Beauty, Lifestyle, Media
Founded	November 21, 1945; 80 years ago in Paris, France
Founder	Hélène Gordon-Lazareff
Headquarters	Levallois-Perret, Greater Paris, France
Area served	Worldwide (45 editions)
Key people	Véronique Philipponnat (Elle France), Nina Garcia (Elle USA)
Products	Fashion and lifestyle magazines, digital media platforms
Owner	Lagardère Group (global brand), Czech Media Invest (Elle France)
Parent	Lagardère Group (global brand)
Website	www.elle.com

ELLE (presented in all caps) is an internationally recognized publication originating from France, delivering a combination of content related to fashion, beauty, society, and lifestyle. The name Elle translates as She in French. It ranks among the largest fashion and lifestyle magazines worldwide, boasting 45 editions across various countries that engage 33 million readers and garner 100 million unique visitors monthly on 55 digital platforms.

Established in Paris in 1945 by Hélène Gordon-Lazareff, the magazine's audience expanded to 800,000 within France by the 1960s. Its global presence commenced in 1985 with launches in both the UK and USA. Prominent former editors include Jean-Dominique Bauby at Elle France and Roberta Myers, who served as the longest-tenured editor-in-chief of Elle USA. Currently, Elle France is under the leadership of Véronique Philipponnat, while Nina Garcia heads Elle USA. The brand is internationally owned by the Paris-based Lagardère Group, a division of the Louis Hachette Group. The headquarters of Elle France are situated in Levallois-Perret, within Greater Paris.

History

After World War II, Russian-born and Paris-raised Hélène Gordon-Lazareff founded Elle in Paris. Initially launched as a supplement to France-Soir, edited by her husband Pierre Lazareff, she returned from New York to create a magazine addressing the changing roles of women in post-war France in 1945. Following women's enfranchisement in 1944, Elle featured comprehensive articles on women's political involvement and feminism, advocating for an independent and contemporary female identity. The inaugural issue was released on 21 November 1945, showcasing actress Yolande Bloin on its cover and achieving a circulation of 110,000 copies.

What set Elle apart was its inclusion of complimentary haute couture sewing patterns, democratizing fashion for working-class women. Its centennial issue in October 1947 highlighted Christian Dior shortly after his debut collection, with other notable covers featuring Brigitte Bardot (1952), Grace Kelly (1956), and Marilyn Monroe (1956). By the 1960s, Elle had reached a readership of 800,000 in France and wielded significant influence over fashion trends, encapsulated by its slogan "" ("If she reads, she reads Elle"). In the 1970s, Beverly Johnson became the first Black woman to appear on its cover.

The international expansion was driven by Lagardère Group’s subsidiary Hachette Filipacchi Médias with the launch of Elle editions in the UK and US in 1985. The Chinese edition followed in 1988 as the country’s first four-colour fashion magazine, opening doors for China's textile industry. In France, Elle Decoration debuted in 1987, followed by the US launch of Elle Decor in 1989. Despite this growth, US sales declined by 1991. By 1995, worldwide circulation had reached five million copies.

Digital growth began with the introduction of Elle.com in 2007. In 2011, Hearst Corporation acquired publishing rights from Lagardère for Elle across fifteen countries including the UK, Italy, Spain, Russia, and Ukraine for €651 million. Lagardère retained rights to the French edition and continued receiving royalties from international versions while ensuring brand consistency through licensing agreements.

In December 2011, Elle Brazil became the first commercial magazine globally to feature a transgender model (Lea T.) on its cover and subsequently showcased Valentina Sampaio prior to her appearance on French Vogue. The British edition followed suit by featuring Hari Nef as its first openly transgender cover star in September 2016.

In April 2018, ownership of Elle France transferred to Czech Media Invest (CMI), controlled by Daniel Křetínský; however, Lagardère continues to own the global Elle brand through licensing arrangements.

Towards the end of 2021, all international editions of Elle declared a fur ban effective January 2023 to support animal welfare initiatives and promote sustainable fashion practices.

In June 2024, Elle Decor announced its inaugural residential tower project set to launch in Miami, marking an expansion into real estate branding initiatives.

Elle and Political Engagement

Although Elle magazine predominantly centers on fashion and beauty, it has persistently addressed critical political and societal matters such as Gender Equality. The publication has featured content focused on fighting gender disparities, celebrating prominent women leaders, and championing equal remuneration and career advancement. A dedicated "Women in Politics" edition highlighted female political figures internationally. Additionally, Elle advocates for women's health and reproductive freedoms, reporting extensively on worldwide efforts to secure safe abortion access, particularly in the United States following legislative shifts. The magazine also tackles issues of social justice, including racial equity and LGBTQ+ rights, covering movements like Black Lives Matter and stressing the importance of diversity and inclusion across various sectors.

In 2025, Elle Italy publicized the nomination of sociologist Porpora Marcasciano for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, marking the first time a transgender person received such a nomination, submitted by Dr. Tiziano Peccia.

Prominent Editors-in-Chief

Elle has been guided by influential editors such as Jean-Dominique Bauby in France, renowned for his memoir written after paralysis, and Robbie Myers in the United States. Myers led Elle USA as editor-in-chief from 2000 until her departure in 2017 to prioritize family commitments. Following her exit, Nina Garcia, formerly creative director at Marie Claire, assumed the role of editor-in-chief starting September 2017. Patricia Wang was the inaugural editor of Elle China. Currently, Elle France is under the direction of .

Circulation (Elle France)

Average Paid Circulation
Year	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Circulation	404,037	402,989	401,332	384,704	352,390	342,981	333,141	340,690	342,453	339,151	330,895	314,834	288,254	263,562

Worldwide Presence

By 2019, the Elle brand had secured seventy-eight media licenses globally: comprising one Elle Girl, two Elle Men, five Elle à Table, twenty-five Elle Decoration, and forty-five main Elle editions. CEO François Coruzzi highlighted central hubs located in Paris, London, and New York alongside twenty-nine offices worldwide.

The brand maintains over forty-six websites and fifty-five digital outlets internationally; within the United States market, subscriptions account for seventy-three percent of its audience.

The initial overseas edition appeared in Japan in 1970. The US and UK versions launched in 1985 featuring supermodel Yasmin Le Bon; ownership of the US edition was shared between Hachette and News Group Publications. Expansion continued with editions debuting in Spain (1986), Italy and Hong Kong (1987), Brazil and China (1988), followed by Greece, Germany, Portugal, Sweden (1988–2021), Quebec, Netherlands and Switzerland (1989), Australia and Taiwan (1990), Korea (1992), Singapore (1993), Mexico, Argentina, Thailand, Poland, Czech Republic (1994), Russia and South Africa (1996), India (1996), Romania and Norway (1997), Turkey (1999), Canada, Ukraine and Hungary (2001), Croatia (2002), Belgium (2003), Serbia, Bulgaria and Slovenia (2005), Indonesia and Finland (2008), Denmark (2008), Vietnam (2010), Kazakhstan (2015), Ivory Coast digital launch (2017), Lithuania (2024), with Egypt launching digitally and print planned for 2024.

Several editions have either ceased publication or transitioned formats due to shifting market dynamics: Brazil's edition ended in 2018; Portugal's closed in 2021; Finland's ceased in 2020; Australia's print version stopped in 2020 but was relaunched digitally with plans to return to print by 2024; Vietnam's edition stopped in 2020 but later resumed; Russia's edition terminated in 2022 after license cancellation.

Region-specific editions exist such as Elle Hong Kong alongside Elle China, as well as Elle Québec complementing Elle Canada. In Belgium since 2003 it is published in both French as Elle Belgique and Dutch under Elle België. The Middle East edition began as Elle Oriental offering Arabic and French content before rebranding to Elle Arabia.

Owned by France's Lagardère Group, Elle collaborates with publishing partners including Czech Media Invest (France), Hearst Magazines (US & UK), KO Média (Canada), Grupo Abril (Brazil), Grupo Expansión (Mexico), Grupo Clarín (Argentina), Mayapada (Indonesia), Atlas Press (Singapore), Adria Media (Serbia/Croatia), Doğan Burda Magazine (Turkey), Hubert Burda Media (Germany), Ringier (Romania), Shanghai Translation Publishing House (China) and Ogaan Publications Pvt. Ltd. (India). The brand’s headquarters are located in Paris with licensed publishers operating in major cities such as New York, London, Toronto, Mexico City, Johannesburg, 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 and Bangkok.

Key leadership appointments include Randy Minor’s selection as US design director in December 2013 and Vanessa Craft’s appointment as editor-in-chief of Elle Canada in November 2016—marking the first time a Black woman has led an Elle edition globally.

Editors

Valia Taha (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)
Jelena Veljaca (Croatia)
Thea Prokop (Czechia)
Cecilie Ingdal (Denmark)
Susan Sabet (Egypt)
Ava Djamshidi (France)
Franzsika Frosch (Germany)
Maria Patoucha (Greece)
Winnie Wan (Hong Kong)
Vivien Madai (Hungary)
Ainee Ahmedi (India)
Ruben William Steven (Indonesia)
Massimo Russo (Italy)
Frederique Kragbé Leininger (Ivory Coast)
Mika Kowaki (Japan)
Dana Lee (Kazakhstan)
Eun Mi Chae (Korea)
Irina Sinė (Lithuania)
Marie-Adélaïde Leclercq-Olhagaray (Luxembourg)
Sarah Hani Jamil (Malaysia)
Claudia Cándano (Mexico)
Anke de Jong (Netherlands)
Petra Middelthon (Norway)
Marta Tabiś-Szymanek (Poland)
Sophie Banford (Quebec)
Roxana Voloseniuc (Romania)
Teodora Bogdanovic (Serbia)
Charmaine Ho (Singapore)
Petra Windschnurer (Slovenia)
Benedetta Poletti (Spain)
Elina Grothén (Sweden)
Anne Marie Philippe (Switzerland)
Kayt Hsueh (Taiwan)
Chatlina Cheyjunya (Thailand)
Suzan Yurdacan (Turkey)
Kenya Hunt (United Kingdom)
Sonya Zabouga (Ukraine)
Nina García (United States)
Polina Agliamova (Uzbekistan)
Liên Chi (Vietnam)

Men's

Valia Taha (Arabia)
Susana Barbosa (Brazil)
Liv He (China)
Ken Law (Hong Kong)
Saugirdas Vaitulionis (Lithuania)
Claudia Candano (Mexico)
Charmaine Ho (Singapore)
Nichakul Kitayanubhongse (Thailand)
Naz Gurlek (Turkey)
Thùy Duong (Vietnam)

Other markets

During the 1980s, Elle formed a partnership with Itokin, a Japanese ready-to-wear company, securing enduring licensing arrangements. Currently, the brand collaborates with over 150 partners across 80 nations, generating global royalty income. With a retail presence exceeding 3,000 outlets—mostly located in Asia—Elle has expanded its scope beyond publishing to include fashion, beauty, and home decoration merchandise. Additionally, the brand manages approximately ten cafés, hair salons, and spa facilities.

In 2012, Elle teamed up with Nissan to introduce the Nissan Micra Elle, a limited-edition vehicle specifically designed for women.

Venturing into the hospitality sector, Elle inaugurated its first hotel, Maison Elle, situated in Paris's 17th arrondissement in 2023. Future initiatives include a hotel project in Mexico and ambitions to establish around fifteen luxury hotels in major metropolitan areas over the forthcoming decade.

External links