L'Officiel

''L'Officiel'' () is a French fashion magazine with a USA edition. It has been published in Paris since 1921 and targets upper-income, educated women aged from 25 to 49. In 2006, it had a circulation of 101,719. A men's edition of ''L'Officiel'', ''L'Officiel Hommes'', and many foreign editions are also published. The complete name of the magazine is "''L'Officiel de la couture et de la mode de Paris''". In 2022, it was acquired by Hong Kong-Based company AMTD International.

History

''L'Officiel'' was first published in 1921, the same year as ''Vogue''. It was the official publication of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, a trade body representing all Paris couturiers, and took over the role of ''Les Elégances Parisiennes'', a joint publication of a group of about twenty-five couturiers which became defunct in 1922. ''L'Officiel'' 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. The director was Max Bruhne, and the chief editor Yves-Georges Prade.

Georges Jalou joined the magazine as artistic director in 1932. Within a short time it had helped to start the careers of designers such as Pierre Balmain, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Christian Dior, and Yves St. Laurent, and came to be known as "the Bible of fashion and of high society". Jalou became general director of the publication, and later bought it. He transferred it to his three children in 1986: Laurent Jalou became the president of Editions Jalou, Marie-José Susskind-Jalou directed its editorial content, and Maxime Jalou was responsible for publication. After the death of Laurent Jalou in 2003, his daughter Marie-José Susskind-Jalou became president of the company, and restructured the magazine's content to target a younger market than it did in its early years.

The future of ''L'Officiel'' came into question during January 2021, as over 500 freelancers working for the magazine were left unpaid for a number of years, putting the stability of the finances and management under scrutiny in the press and in the French courts.

Since 2017, ''L'Officiel USA'' has also left 24 freelancers, working for the USA magazine, unpaid for four years.

''L'Officiel'' edition in the U.S. is funded, in part, by ''Global Emerging Markets'', an investment group founded by Christopher Brown, and ''L’Officiel USA'' publishes from the New York City offices of ''Global Emerging Markets''.

References

External links

magazine Archive
(back issues in French)

''L'Officiel''
Official website french

''L'Officiel''
Official website USA
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Officiel
1921 establishments in France
Women's fashion magazines
French-language magazines
Monthly magazines published in France
Magazines established in 1921
Magazines published in Paris
Women's magazines published in France
2022 mergers and acquisitions