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L'Officiel
French fashion magazine From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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L'Officiel (French pronunciation: [lɔfisjɛl]; stylised in all caps), full name L'Officiel de la couture et de la mode de Paris ("The Official [publication] of Paris Couture and Fashion"), is a French bimonthly fashion magazine. It has been published in Paris since 1921 and targets upper-income, educated women aged 25 to 49.[3] A men's edition L'Officiel Hommes is also in publication,[4] as are many foreign editions of the magazine.[3] In 2022, it was acquired by Hong Kong–based AMTD.[1]
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Background
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L'Officiel is a French fashion magazine founded in 1921 by Amédée-Martin Brunhes as L'Officiel de la Couture et de la Mode (till late 1921, then as L'Officiel de la Couture, de la Mode et de la Confection till 1923, as L'Officiel de la Couture, de la Mode de Paris till 1935, as L'Officiel de la Couture et de la Mode de Paris till 2020, as L'Officiel since 2020/2021; with the secondary title Official Fashions from 1924 to 1926), 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' (in French 'la voix officielle de la mode').[5] 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.[6]
Circulation
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 2025 Vanessa Bellugeon is the only Editor-in-Chief.
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History
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The Beginnings of L'Officiel and Jalou/Pérès takeover (1921–1984)
L'Officiel was first published in 1921,[4][18] as the official publication of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture. The Chambre Syndicale de la Couture (commonly referred to as 'the Chamber') was founded in 1868 by Charles Frederick Worth as a trade body representing all Parisian couturiers.[19]: 83 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.[19]: 83 L'Officel was originally published in French, English, and Spanish.
In 1922 L'Officiel took over the role of Les Elégances Parisiennes (the official publication of the chamber from 1916 till its 1922 closure), Elégances had been a joint publication sponsored by around twenty-five couturiers.[20]: 56 L'Officiel was quickly taken over by M. Martin Brunhes.[21]
Brunhes son M.E. Max Brunhes purchased the publication in 1927.[21] 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,'.[21] However, Brunhes died in 1933 and the magazine was taken over by Andrée Castanié (the principal collaborator of Brunhes at L'Officiel) who continued to lead and grow the magazine.[21]
Castanié hired Georges Jalou and Marcel G. Pérès in 1932.[4] Jalou served as the artistic director, and Pérès improved sales and advertising.[22]
L'Officiel created the 'Coupe des Dames' (Ladies Cup) in 1933 for the Monte Carlo Rally.[23]
Under the leadership of Castanié, Jalou, and Pérès L'Officiel continued publishing throughout World War II.[22] 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'.[22] Colette contributed to the magazine between 1941 and 1942.[24]
Castanié launched the first sister publication of L'Officiel in 1946, Chapeaux de Paris (Hats of Paris) which focused on millinery.[21] Following the inclusion of content about the French ready-to-wear industry the magazine was renamed to Actualité Couture-Chapeaux de Paris in 1955,[21] it was in operation till at least 1968.
Georges Jalou was appointed editor-in-chief in 1947.[10] 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".[4][25] According to the New Zealand Fashion Museum at the time a British edition of the magazine was in operation.[26]
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.[27]
Jacques de Lacretelle and Irène Lidova contributed to the magazine in the 1950s.[28]
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.[21]
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.[22]
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.[29] 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.[4][30]
21st century
Catherine Millet 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.[4]
In 2005, L'Officiel Hommes was relaunched and has been in operation since.[31]
Controversy broke out in 2011 when Beyoncé was featured on the cover in blackface and tribal makeup.[32] L'Officiel responses said that it (the tribal makeup) was in honour of Fela Kuti and "a return to her African roots".[33] 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.[33] The stylist and creative director of the shoot Jenke Ahmed Tailly said "It [the blackface] was paying homage to African queens."[34]
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.[35]
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.[36] 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.[37][38]
In January 2021, a group of freelancers working for the magazine took legal action in France, claiming that they had not been paid.[39][40][41]
For the 100th anniversary in 2021, L'Officiel opened its archive for academic study to students at Parsons Paris.[42] They also launched L'Officiel House of Dreams a website set up as a virtual museum documenting the history of the magazine.[43]
L'Officiel Inc. SAS, Éditions Jalou, and associated companies were sold to AMTD International (subsidiary of Hong Kong-based AMTD Group) in April 2022.[1] 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.[1][44] Plans were then announced for magazine launches in Australia, Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom within two years,[45] Australian, Canadian, Mexican and Taiwanese editions are planned to launch in 2025.[46]
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.[47] In August 2023, L'Officiel Philippines was brought under direct ownership.[48]
In 2023 L'Officiel was reorganised to become part of AMTD World Media and Entertainment Group (WME). 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 (TGE), publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange.[49] On the IPO day L'Officiel hosted the first fashion show on the NYSE trading floor.[5]
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.[50] The first permanent location opened in the Omotesandō district of Tokyo in April 2025.[51][52] A L'Officiel Bar opened at the Tokyo coffeehouse in October 2025.[53]
In October 2025, a L'Officiel Coffee pop-up occurred at Shreeji Newsagents in London, U.K.[54] 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.[55][56]
Coffeehouses are planned to open across Japan,[57] and in Australia, China, France, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[58]
Noteworthy covers
- 20 July 1921: First issue, depicting two French nobles on a walk through a forest
- 15 September 1921: First photograph cover, photo by Delphi
- May 1929: Elsa Schiaparelli, first cover featuring a designer
- October 1945: First cover illustrated by Eduardo García Benito
- No.301/302 1947: First cover illustrated by René Grau
- December 1960: Wilhelmina Cooper's first magazine cover
- April 1968: Alexandra Stewart, first actress on the cover
- June 1970: Sandi Collins, first black model on the cover; alongside uncredited French model
- September 1971: Pat Cleveland, first black model solo cover
- February 1974: Jane Birkin, first singer on the cover
- June 1977: Masako Natsume, first Asian woman on the cover
- November 1984: Linda Evangelista's first magazine cover
- December 1990/January 1991: Gianni Versace, first cover featuring a male designer
- February 2003: Raquel Zimmermann, photographed by Nick Knight
- March 2011: Beyoncé, first black singer on the cover
- October 2013: Cast of 'Opium', photo by Karl Lagerfeld
- September 2016: "Gang of Africa" cover featuring eight black models
- October 2019: Cai Xukun, first solo man on the cover
- September 2021: Jessica Chastain, 100th anniversary cover
- September 2023: Emma Corrin, first non-binary person on the cover
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Editions
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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 digital platforms.
Other titles of the magazine that are no longer published include L'Officiel 1000 Modèles/L'Officiel Accessories (1996–2019),[59] L'Officiel Chirugie Esthétique (1996–2019),[60] L'Officiel 1000 Modèles Design (2003–2018),[61] L'Officiel Voyage (2005–2019),[62] L'Officiel Business (2007),[12] L'Officiel Intérieur (2008),[63] L'Officiel l'Intégrale 5000 Modèles/L'Officiel Fashion Week (2011–2019),[62] L'Officiel New Talents (2012),[64] L'Officiel l'Intégrale Luxe (2012–2015),[62] L'Officiel Shopping/L'Officiel Paris Guide (launched in 2012),[65] and L'Officiel Beauté (2013).[62]
The magazines first supplement was launched in the 1920s and was known as L'Industrie Française du Vêtement Féminine.[66]
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.[66]
Currently L'Officiel directly owns and operates nine editions 时装 L'Officiel China (in co-operation with Fashion Publishing), L'Officiel Hong Kong,[67] L'Officiel Italia,[37] L'Officiel Japan,[68][69] L'Officiel Malaysia,[47] L'Officiel Paris,[37] L'Officiel Philippines,[48] L'Officiel Singapore[47] and L'Officiel USA.[37] A special edition for the World Economic Forum called L'Officiel Davos has been published since 2023.[70] They also own and operate La Revue des Montres in France, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore.[71][72] La Revue des Montres will be launched in Vietnam and Japan.[71][57]
Before the closure of each respective edition they owned L'Officel Brasil (joint-venture with Escala),[37] L'Officiel Netherlands, and L'Officiel Switzerland.
时装 L'Officiel China
L'Officiel was the first international fashion magazine to launch in China,[73] launching in April 1987, however this edition ceased publication in 1990.[74]
The magazine was relaunched in 2002 as 魅力 L'Officiel 中文版 and was operated by NCN (Hong Kong branch) under licence, the magazine was based in Hong Kong. However it closed the same year.
In 1980 时装 (Fashion) was founded and by the mid-1980s had almost reached a circulation of 300,000.[75] 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.[76][77] The magazine is based in Beijing.[78] As of 2021 L'Officiel China had a circulation of 839,000.[79]
L'Officiel Italia
L'Officiel Italia originally had a short run in the 1970s and again in the 1990s.[80] 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.[81][82]
L'Officiel Japan
In 1973 a version of L'Officiel translated into Japanese was released.[83] However it was not until 2005 that the Japanese edition L'Officiel Japon was launched. It later closed in 2008.[84] 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.[85][86] The magazine ceased publication in December 2016, but its last issue was January/February 2017.[87]
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.[37] The same was confirmed about a Japanese edition in late 2022.[45]
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.[51] The magazine relaunched in September with Rie Miyazawa on the cover.[68]
L'Officiel USA
L'Officiel USA was originally launched in 1976 as one of the first international editions of the magazine,[88] but was later shuttered in 1980.[89] 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".[90] The owner and publisher was Evan Katz and by L'Officiel USA's second issue it had a subscriber count of 124,000.[91][92]
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.[39] The magazine is based in New York City.[93] 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.[94][95][96] A settlement was reached in July 2023 with L'Officiel agreeing to pay 41 freelancers US$275,000.[97]
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International editors
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See also
Notes
- As 巴黎时装 L'Officiel
- As 魅力 L'Officiel 中文版
- Titled L'Officiel Japon
- Titled L'Officiel BE
- Originally titled L'Officiel BE (2019 to 2022) since 2022 as L'Officiel Belgium or L'Officiel Belgique or L'Officiel België depending on language distributed
- Titled L'Officiel Manila
- Originally titled L'Officiel ARG (2018 to 2020) since 2020 as L'Officiel Argentina
- Titled L'Officiel Middle East
- Originally credited as Kiky Rory
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