Elle (magazine)
Elle, is a French weekly lifestyle magazine. It offers a mixture of fashion, beauty, and general lifestyle content. It has been published in Paris since its 1945 founding by Hélène Gordon-Lazareff.
The magazine has a global audience reach of over 250 million people monthly, 50 international editions, and spin-off publications such as Elle Décoration, Elle Men, and Elle à Table. The magazine is considered "one of the world's largest fashion and lifestyle publications".
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
, 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 Paris Frills. 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 ".
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, 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, 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 and Elle België. 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. The two publications were later rebranded into Elle Arabia and the French edition was dropped.
International editions
In 1970, the first non-European edition of Elle was launched for Japan as a collaboration with An An magazine as An An Elle Japon. Prior to the entry into Japan, editions operated in Belgium, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland/Austria, and Yugoslavia throughout the 1960s and 1970s.In 1985, the American and British editions were launched both featuring Yasmin Le Bon on their respective inaugural issues. The American edition was jointly owned by Hachette and News Groups Publications. The following year Elle España was launched.
In 1987 editions launched for Italy and Hong Kong. Italian Elle would move from a monthly to weekly release schedule in 2018. Editions for China, Greece, Germany, and Sweden in 1988. In 1989 editions were launched for Quebec, The Netherlands and Switzerland.
In 1990 Elle Taiwan began publication.
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 India and Elle South Africa launched in 1996. Romanian and Norwegian editions launched the following year. An edition for Turkey launched in 1999.
Elle Hungary and Elle Ukraine were launched in 2001. In 2002, a Croatian edition was launched. A Belgian edition launched in 2003, available in Dutch and French.
Bulgarian, Serbian, and Slovenian editions launched in 2005. Danish and Indonesian editions launched in 2008.
In 2012, Elle Lebanon was launched; however, it was quickly folded into Elle Oriental. A Kazakh edition began publication in February 2015.
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 Luxembourg began in September 2024.
In January 2026, Elle Baltic was launched.
Elle Australia
In 1990, Elle Australia launched. 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 Brasil
A Brazilian edition launched in 1988 and the first run of the magazine would cease publication in 2018. The magazine was relaunched in 2020 by former its editor-in-chief Susana Barbosa.It 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 Canada
The magazine entered publication in 2001. 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.In 2020, the Toronto branch offices were closed and the magazine continued publication from Montreal.