L'Officiel


L'Officiel, full name L'Officiel de la couture et de la mode de Paris, is a French bimonthly fashion magazine. It has been published in Paris since 1921 and targets upper-income, educated women aged 25 to 49. A men's edition L'Officiel Hommes is also in publication, as are many foreign editions of the magazine. In 2022, it was acquired by Hong Kong–based AMTD.

Background

L'Officiel is a French fashion magazine founded in 1921 by Amédée-Martin Brunhes as L'Officiel de la Couture et de la Mode, it is the oldest fashion magazine of French origin in publication.
The magazine is a bimonthly publication, published six times per year for February/March, April/May, June/July, September, November, and December/January.
Founded as the official publication of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, the magazine's slogan is 'The Official Voice of Fashion'. L'Officiel was owned by the Brunhes family from 1921 to the mid-1950s when it then came under the control of the Jalou family, the Jalou family sold the magazine and their publishing house Éditions Jalou in 2022 to AMTD. As of 2025, L'Officiel is under the control of The Generation Essentials Group. The magazine is considered an international rival of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar and has been called the doyenne of French fashion magazines.

Editors

French publications usually have multiple editors for different sections of the magazine, in the case of L'Officiel they are listed below. However, as of 2026 Vanessa Bellugeon is the only Editor-in-Chief at the publication.

History

The Beginnings of L'Officiel and Jalou/Pérès takeover (1921–1984)

L'Officiel was first published in 1921, as the official publication of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture. The Chambre Syndicale de la Couture was founded in 1868 by Charles Frederick Worth as a trade body representing all Parisian couturiers. The magazine was a professional trade magazine, directed principally at international buyers of high fashion, both corporate and individual, and at those working in the fashion industry. L'Officel was originally published in French, English, and Spanish.
In 1922 L'Officiel took over the role of Les Elégances Parisiennes, Elégances had been a joint publication sponsored by around twenty-five couturiers. L'Officiel was quickly taken over by M. Martin Brunhes.
Brunhes son M.E. Max Brunhes purchased the publication in 1927. Max Brunhes believed that 'l'Officiel shoud be known in the entire world, that it should demonstrate the unequaled quality of French production and creation,'. However, Brunhes died in 1933 and the magazine was taken over by Andrée Castanié who continued to lead and grow the magazine.
Castanié hired Georges Jalou and Marcel G. Pérès in 1932. Jalou served as the artistic director, and Pérès improved sales and advertising.
L'Officiel created the 'Coupe des Dames' in 1933 for the Monte Carlo Rally.
Under the leadership of Castanié, Jalou, and Pérès L'Officiel continued publishing throughout World War II. During wartime, the French national colours of blue, white, and red were featured on covers in support of the French Resistance. L'Officiel suffered no repercussions with Jalou informing Nazi authorities that they were 'the colours of the season'. Colette contributed to the magazine between 1941 and 1942.
Castanié launched the first sister publication of L'Officiel in 1946, Chapeaux de Paris which focused on millinery. Following the inclusion of content about the French ready-to-wear industry the magazine was renamed to Actualité Couture-Chapeaux de Paris in 1955, it was in operation till at least 1968.
Georges Jalou was appointed editor-in-chief in 1947. Under the control of Jalou the magazine helped to start the careers of Pierre Balmain, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Christian Dior, and Yves St. Laurent, and came to be known as "the Bible of fashion and of high society". According to the New Zealand Fashion Museum at the time a British edition of the magazine was in operation.
In the late 1940s Philippe Pottier joined the magazine as a photographer and a fashion editor staying with L'Officiel for twenty-five years. He previously worked for Elle but left after they refused his request to work as both a photographer and editor.
Jacques de Lacretelle and Irène Lidova contributed to the magazine in the 1950s.
In 1956, according to Mary Brooks Picken L'Officiel was the most popular couture magazine worldwide and was the leading publication of French fashion publishing.
In the late 1950s Georges Jalou and Marcel Pérès took control of the magazine.

Under Éditions Jalou: International expansion, bankruptcy, and sale to AMTD (1984–2022)

In 1984, following the death of Marcel Pérès, Jalou became the sole owner of the magazine and created the Éditions Jalou publishing house to control the magazine.
L'Officiel Hommes was launched in 1977 as the men's edition of L'Officiel, however, it ceased publication 1991. It was relaunched in 1996, during this time Patrick Besson worked as an editor for the magazine. In 1998, however, it was rebranded to L'Optimum due to a publishing rights dispute.
The Éditions Jalou publishing house was transferred to the three children of Georges Jalou in 1986: Laurent Jalou became the president, Marie-José Jalou directed the editorial content, and Maxime Jalou served as artistic director.

21st century

and France Huser contributed to the magazine in the 2000s.
Laurent Jalou died in 2003 and Marie-José became president of Éditions Jalou, she stepped down from her role as Editor-in-Chief of L'Officiel and restructured the content of the magazine to target a younger audience.
In 2005, L'Officiel Hommes was relaunched and has been in operation since.
Controversy broke out in 2011 when Beyoncé was featured on the cover in blackface and tribal makeup. L'Officiel responses said that it was in honour of Fela Kuti and "a return to her African roots". Dodai Stewart said "It's fun to play with fashion and makeup, and fashion has a history of provocation and pushing boundaries. But when you paint your face darker in order to look more 'African,' aren't you reducing an entire continent, full of different nations, tribes, cultures and histories, into one brown color?" about the shoot. The stylist and creative director of the shoot Jenke Ahmed Tailly said "It was paying homage to African queens."
For the October 2013 issue Karl Lagerfeld shot the cover photo and editorial, which featured the cast of Opium a film about the life of Jean Patou.
The cryptocurrency Taste Token was launched in 2018 the venture was led by Benjamin Eymère the then L'Officiel CEO and was developed to compensate readers for their time on the website and for brands to learn the interests and preferences of readers. It has since been closed.
Stefano Tonchi became the magazines Chief Creative Officer in January 2020 however he left the magazine in December 2021 after payments to freelancers continued to be delayed.
In January 2021, a group of freelancers working for the magazine took legal action in France, claiming that they had not been paid.
For the 100th anniversary in 2021, L'Officiel opened its archive for academic study to students at Parsons Paris. They also launched L'Officiel House of Dreams a website set up as a virtual museum documenting the history of the magazine.
L'Officiel Inc. SAS, Éditions Jalou, and associated companies were sold to AMTD International in April 2022. The Jalou family still contribute to the magazine and retain ownership of L'Officiel Riviera in a partnership with Philippe Combres, Combres also owns L'Officiel St. Barth.

Contemporary era (2022–present)

Following the purchase, AMTD that they would expand and establish L'Officiel's presence to multiple new areas worldwide. Plans were then announced for magazine launches in Australia, Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom within two years, Australian, Canadian, Mexican and Taiwanese editions are planned to launch in 2025.
L'Officiel Singapore and L'Officiel Malaysia were relaunched in March 2023, now directly owned and managed and no longer under a franchising ownership model. In August 2023, L'Officiel Philippines was brought under direct ownership.
In 2023 L'Officiel was reorganised to become part of AMTD World Media and Entertainment Group. In 2025 a de-SPAC transaction occurred with a company backed by Lawrence Ho, which saw the creation of a new parent The Generation Essentials Group, publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. On the IPO day L'Officiel hosted the first fashion show on the NYSE trading floor.
In 2026, the Jalou family accused AMTD of "trademark infringement, tax fraud, and misuse of corporate assets," and according to The Times the new owners are "fraudulently running the publication into the ground". AMTD has been accused of running a financial scheme that aims to squander the assets of the French company, profiting from the brand without the French entity receiving any profit. Primarily through foreign subsidiaries registered in the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands. The stripping of assets from the French company is in direct violation of the 2015 recovery plan following Éditions Jalou's bankruptcy that prohibits the sale or transfer of the business and its brands. The photographic archives of L'Officiel are also reported to be missing. The Jalou family has not received all money from the 2022 sale with proceeds frozen in a Hong Kong bank account owned by the brokerage firm of AMTD. Former CEO, Benjamin Eymère launched legal proceedings against the company for unfair dismissal, seeking whistleblower status. The Direction régionale de la police judiciaire de la [préfecture de police de Paris|Paris police judiciary] have opened an investigation into the financial operations of the magazine following a 2025 complaint.
Marie-José Jalou said she believed that AMTD was trying to deprive the original French publication of its assets and revenue whilst using its renown to construct an international brand, stating “L’Officiel was the fashion bible. I will never give up on it.”

L'Officiel Coffee

At the World Economic Forum in January 2023, a L'Officiel Coffee pop-up opened in Davos, with intentions to expand worldwide. The first permanent location opened in the Omotesandō district of Tokyo in April 2025. A L'Officiel Bar opened at the Tokyo coffeehouse in October 2025.
In October 2025, a L'Officiel Coffee pop-up occurred at Shreeji Newsagents in London, U.K. It was announced in November 2025 that the second coffeehouse would open in Macau at the City of Dreams casino and resort and the third would open in New York City's Tribeca district.
Coffeehouses are planned to open across Japan, and in Australia, China, France, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Noteworthy covers

Editions

L'Officiel has 19 international editions. A men's edition L'Officiel Hommes was first published in 1977 and continuously since 2005, L'Officiel Art was launched in 2012 and continued as a themed issue of L'Officiel from 2021 to 2023. L'Officiel Art continues on .
Other titles of the magazine that are no longer published include L'Officiel 1000 Modèles/L'Officiel Accessories, L'Officiel Chirugie Esthétique, L'Officiel 1000 Modèles Design, L'Officiel Voyage, L'Officiel Business, L'Officiel Intérieur, L'Officiel l'Intégrale 5000 Modèles/''L'Officiel Fashion Week, L'Officiel New Talents, L'Officiel l'Intégrale Luxe, L'Officiel Shopping/L'Officiel Paris Guide, and L'Officiel Beauté.
The magazines first supplement was launched in the 1920s and was known as L'Industrie Française du Vêtement Féminine.
L'Officiel editions in Brazil, Italy and the Middle East all had original print runs in the 1970s, these editions were closed down but later relaunched.
Currently L'Officiel directly owns and operates nine editions 时装 L'Officiel China, L'Officiel Hong Kong, L'Officiel Italia, L'Officiel Japan, L'Officiel Malaysia, L'Officiel Paris, L'Officiel Philippines, L'Officiel Singapore and L'Officiel USA. A special edition for the World Economic Forum called L'Officiel Davos has been published since 2023. They also own and operate La Revue des Montres in France, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore. La Revue des Montres is planned to be launched in Vietnam and Japan.
Before the closure of each respective edition they owned L'Officel Brasil, L'Officiel NL, and L'Officiel Schweiz/Suisse''.

时装 L'Officiel China

L'Officiel was the first international fashion magazine to launch in China, launching in April 1987, however this edition ceased publication in 1990.
The magazine was relaunched in 2002 as 魅力 L'Officiel 中文版 and was operated by NCN under licence, the magazine was based in Hong Kong. However it closed the same year.
In 1980 时装 was founded and by the mid-1980s had almost reached a circulation of 300,000. From late 2003 the magazine was rebranded to 时装 L'Officiel after an agreement was made with Éditions Jalou and with this the magazine became distributed in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. The magazine is based in Beijing. As of 2021 L'Officiel China had a circulation of 839,000.

L'Officiel Italia

L'Officiel Italia originally had a short run in the 1970s and again in the 1990s. In 2009 L'Officiel Hommes launched an Italian edition and in September 2012 L'Officiel Italia was relaunched with Carlo Mazzoni as Editor-in-Chief.

L'Officiel Japan

In 1973 a version of L'Officiel translated into Japanese was released. However it was not until 2005 that the Japanese edition L'Officiel Japon was launched. It later closed in 2008. In October 2015 L'Officiel Japan was launched with Tetsuya Mabuchi as its Publisher and Naoko Kikuchi as its Editor-in-Chief it was published by Éditions Jalou and Seven & I Publishing. The magazine ceased publication in December 2016, but its last issue was January/February 2017.
In early 2020 it was reported that within two years a Japanese edition was aiming to be launched along with editions for Australia, Nigeria and the United Kingdom. The same was confirmed about a Japanese edition in late 2022.
WWD Japan in May 2024 reported that the magazine would relaunch in September with Takafumi Kawasaki as its Editor-in-Chief, he previously worked for L'Uomo Vogue and GQ Japan. The magazine relaunched in September with Rie Miyazawa on the cover.

L'Officiel USA

L'Officiel USA was originally launched in 1976 as one of the first international editions of the magazine, but was later shuttered in 1980. This original edition of the magazine was edited by Dorothy Coleman Seeman however she was replaced in 1979 by Himilce Novas who Diana Vreeland called "terrific". The owner and publisher was Evan Katz and by L'Officiel USA's second issue it had a subscriber count of 124,000.
In 2017 L'Officiel USA launched online led by Joseph Akel with funding from Global Emerging Markets, the first print edition was released in February 2018. The magazine is based in New York City. In December 2021, the City of New York brought an action against L'Officiel USA Inc. under the Freelance Isn't Free Act, claiming that the magazine had failed to pay freelance contributors. Archived 2 December 2021. A settlement was reached in July 2023 with L'Officiel agreeing to pay 41 freelancers US$275,000.

International editors

Country/regionCirculation datesEditor-in-chiefStart yearEnd year
Brazil 1978–1981Celina Luz1981
Brazil 2006–202520062011
Brazil 2006–2025Erika Palomino20122015
Brazil 2006–2025Maria Rita Alonso20152018
Brazil 2006–2025Renata Brosina20182020
Brazil 2006–202520212025
Spain 1992–199219921992
Spain 2015–2018Andrés Rodriguez20152018
Russia 1997–2011Evelina Khromtchenko 19972010
Russia 1997–2011Maria Nevskaya 20102010
Russia 1997–2011Evelina Khromtchenko 20102011
Russia 2013–2018Ksenia Sobchak 20142018
Russia 2019–2022Edward Dorozhkin20192021
Russia 2019–2022Ekaterina Astashova20212022
Greece 2000–2003Anita Grigoriadis20002003
Greece 2006–2012Evi Karatza20062009
Greece 2014–2015Maria Chorianopoulou20142015
Ukraine 2001–2025Iryna Danylevska 20012004
Ukraine 2001–2025Natalia Radovynska20042008
Ukraine 2001–2025Ana Varava 20082017
Ukraine 2001–2025Ulyana Boyko 20172025
Ukraine 2001–2025Alexey Nilov 20242025
India 2002–2022Superna R. Motwane20022013
India 2002–2022Juhi Dua Jacob20132015
India 2002–2022Asmita Aggarwal20152016
India 2002–2022Neena Haridas20162018
India 2002–2022Nitin Agarwal20202022
Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates 2005–2018Souha Abbas2013
Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates 2019–2021Boba Stanic20192021
The Netherlands 2007–2019Nicolette Goldsmann20082019
Serbia 2008–2010Verica Rakočević20082008
Serbia 2008–2010Peter Janosevic20082009
Serbia 2008–2010Bojana Janjušević2010
Latvia 2008–2025Marina Siunova2008
Latvia 2008–2025Jelena Vlasova
Latvia 2008–2025Julija Rumjanceva20142017
Latvia 2008–2025Līga Zemture20182024
Latvia 2008–2025Gabriela Golande20252025
Morocco 2009–2025Sofia Benbrahim20092015
Morocco 2009–2025Hugues Roy20152025
Lebanon, Syria 2009–2019Fifi Abou Dib20092019
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan 2010–2014Gulnara Karimova20102014
Lithuania 2010–2023Jurgita Garbaraviciene20102018
Lithuania 2010–2023Agnė Jagelavičiūtė20182021
Lithuania 2010–2023Juoz Statkevičius20212022
Azerbaijan 2012–2018Nilufer Amini Afhami 20122013
Azerbaijan 2012–2018Lina Aliyeva 20162018
Indonesia 2013–2019Winda Malika Siregar20132014
Indonesia 2013–2019Hessy Aurelia Rumadja20142017
Indonesia 2013–2019Rizky Citra Rory20182019
Switzerland 2014–2019Sandra Bauknecht20142016
Switzerland 2014–2019Livia Zafiriou20162019
Switzerland 2014–2019Odile Didi Habel20192019
Mexico 2014–2022Pamela Ocampo20142018
Mexico 2014–2022Brenda Díaz de la Vega20192019
Mexico 2014–2022Javier Quesada20192022
Australia 2015–2015Dimitri Vorontsov20152015
Australia 2015–2015Damien Woolnough20152015
Kazakhstan 2015–2019Gulnara Mergaliyeva
Germany 2016–201820162017
Germany 2016–201820172018
Mykonos 2016–2016Molly Andrianou 20162016
Mykonos 2016–2016Eleni Papaioannou20162016
Poland 2016–2021Ewelina Kustra20162021
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania 2018–2025Līga Zemture20182024
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania 2018–2025Gabriela Golande20252025
Austria 2019–2025Christoph Steiner20192022
Austria 2019–2025Svitlana Lavrynovych20222022
Austria 2019–2025Anna Znamensky20222024
Austria 2019–2025Sara Douedari20242025
Cyprus 2020–2024Christoph Steiner20202021
Cyprus 2020–2024Svitlana Lavrynovych20212022
Cyprus 2020–2024Anna Znamesky20222023
Cyprus 2020–2024Andrea Ioannou20232023
Cyprus 2020–2024Lisa Johnson20232024
Liechtenstein 2021–2025Grace Maier20212025