Elle (magazine)

Background

Elle () is a French fashion magazine founded in 1945 by Hélène Gordon-Lazareff. Elle is a weekly publication, published fifty-two times per year.

Circulation

Editors (France)

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, Elles 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)" ( "If she reads she reads She").

In 1987, Elle Decoration was launched in France by the Lagardère Group.

In 1995, the magazine circulated 5 million copies worldwide.

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.

In April 2018, Lagardère sold Elle France to Daniel Křetínský via his holding company, Czech Media Invest (CMI), parent of Czech News Center. Lagardère, as a subsidiary of Bolloré family-owned Louis Hachette Group, 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."

''Elle'' and politics

Elle magazine, while predominantly known for fashion and beauty, has frequently explored political and social issues. Some of the key topics covered by Elle include gender equality.

Elle has published articles on combating gender inequality, showcasing influential women and advocating for equal pay and opportunities within the workplace. One notable edition was its "Women in Politics" issue, which shone a spotlight on female politicians worldwide. Elle has consistently raised awareness of women's health and reproductive rights. The magazine covered the global struggles for access to safe abortion services, notably in the U.S. following legislative changes. Elle has also addressed issues of social justice, including racial equality and LGBTQ+ rights. It reported on the Black Lives Matter movement, emphasizing the importance of representation and inclusivity within all industries. In 2025, Elle announced in Italy the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize nomination for the sociologist Porpora Marcasciano (first transgender individual in history to be nominated to the prize), nominated by Dr. Tiziano Peccia.

Staff

Elle editors have included Jean-Dominique Bauby in France, who became known for writing a book after suffering almost total paralysis.

Editions

As of 2026, fifty-one editions of Elle are in operation, twenty-six editions of Elle Decoration, nine editions of Elle Men, and eight editions of Elle à Table.

Elle also publishes region-specific editions within or across 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 Baltic was launched in 2026 for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. 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.

International editions

• Valia Taha (Arabia)
• Arlette Barrionuevo and Gabriela Silvestre (Argentina)
• Grace O'Neill (Australia)
• Ginta Kubiliute (Baltic)
• Carmen Kass (Baltic, Estonia)
• Līga Zemture (Baltic, Latvia)
• 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)
• Agnė Gilytė (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

Main article: Elle Men

• 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

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.

In June 2024, an article from Elle Decor announced the launch of the media brand's first residential tower located in Miami.

Notes

References

References

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