L'Officiel

L'Officiel (French pronunciation: ​[lɔfisjɛl]) is a French fashion magazine, the complete name of the magazine is "L'Officiel de la couture et de la mode de Paris". It has been published in Paris since 1921 and targets upper-income, educated women aged 25 to 49.^[2] In 2006, it had a circulation of 101,719.^[1] The magazine is published in 30 different national editions. There exist as well L’Officiel Hommes, L’Officiel Art and L’Officiel Voyage, which specializes in men’s fashion, art and travel.

L’Officiel belongs to Jalou Media Group owned by the Jalou Family. The Media Group is responsible for 11 different magazines: L’Officiel, Jalouse, L’Officiel Hommes, L’Optimum, L’Officiel Art, L’Officiel Voyage, La Revue des Montres, L’Officiel 1000 Modèles Collections, L’Officiel Shopping, L’Officiel 1000 Modèles Design, L’Officiel 1000 Modèles Joaillerie and L’Officiel Beauté.

History

L'Officiel was created in 1921 by Max Brunhes and was first published by Andrée Castaniée, who occupied the position as General Director of the magazine.[1][3]

Georges Jalou joined the magazine as artistic director in 1932 and later he became the General Director of the magazine and ultimately purchased the publication.[1]

In the 1930s the magazine started to present collections of haute-couture and since 1933 color photos has appeared in the pages of L’Officiel.

During the Second World War the magazine continues to be published, but to provoke the occupants, the covers of the magazine are published with the colors from the French flag.

In the 1940s the legacy of L’Officiel is marked by contributors including Colette, Jean Cocteau and illustrator René Gruau.

With the Return of the Haute-couture in the 1950s L’Officiel is heading towards a new golden age, since it’s now considered the most influential fashion magazine.

In the 1960s the magazine is one of the first to publish photos by Patrick Demarchelier.

In the 1970s L'Officiel launches the careers of designers including Claude Montana, Christian Lacroix, Jean Paul Gaultier, Pierre Balmain, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Christian Dior, and Yves St. Laurent, and the magazine becomes "the Bible of fashion and high society".[1][4]

In 1986 Georges Jalou transfers the ownership of L'Officiel to his three children [1] ; Laurent Jalou as the president of Les Editions Jalou, Marie-José Susskind-Jalou as the editor of the magazine, and Maxime Jalou leads the publication.[1] After Laurent dies of a heart attack in January 2003, Marie-José Susskind-Jalou becomes the president of the Company.[1]

In the recent years, the publication has taken a more youthful, energetic approach to fashion.[1]

In 2014 L’Officiel together with the 10 other magazines were gathered under one name: Jalou Media Group. The creation of Jalou Media Group and hence change of organization, allowed the Company to continue their steady growth and adapt to the constantly changing world of media. Moreover, this has contributed to their continuously international expansion.

Related publications

In the late 1920s the magazine was published in three different languages: French, English and Spanish.

In the 1980s L’Officiel was the first French Magazine to be published in China.

In 1996 L'Officiel licensed its name to publishers outside France.[1] Foreign editions of L'Officiel are published in Australia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Central Asia, China, Germany, Greece, Italy, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Serbia Singapore, Spain, St Barth, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.

Editors

Australian Editors - L'Officiel & L'HOMMES

• Dimitri Vorontsov - Editor in Chief (2014–present)
• Matthew Paroz - Executive Editor (2014–2016)
• Varia Davidoff - Art & Culture Editor (2015–2016)
• Jay Joshi - Digital & Fashion Features Editor (2015–present)

Indian Editors

• Asmita Aggarwal - Editor in Chief (2014–present)
• Sukanya Rangaraj Shah - Deputy Editor (2009-2013)

Singapore & Malaysia Editors

• Jumius Wong - Editor in Chief (2015)

French Editors

References

External links

• Archive of the magazine (in French)