L'Officiel Hommes
Cover of the Winter 2011 issue, Philippe Zdar by Matthew Frost | |
| Director | Feridun Hamdullahpur |
|---|---|
| Categories | Fashion |
| Frequency | Bi-annual |
| Publisher |
|
| Founder | Georges Jalou |
| Country | France |
| Based in | Paris |
| Language | French |
| Website | lofficiel |
| ISSN | 1777-9375 |
L'Officiel Hommes (French pronunciation: [lɔfisjɛl]; stylised in all caps), is a French bi-annual fashion magazine. It has been published in Paris since 2005 and previously from 1977 to 1991 and 1996 to 1997.
The magazine is the mens version of L'Officiel, L'Officiel began publication in 1921 as the official magazine of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. Since 2022 L'Officiel and L'Officiel Hommes have been owned by Hong Kong–based AMTD, they are now operated through Paris–based The Generation Essentials Group.
Background
L'Officiel Hommes is a French fashion magazine founded in 1977 by Georges Jalou, an extension of the oldest fashion magazine of French origin in publication L'Officiel.
The magazine is a bi-annual publication, published two times per year, for March and October.
L'Officiel Hommes parent publication was founded as the official publication of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, L'Officiel and L'Officiel Hommes slogan is 'The Official Voice of Fashion' (in French 'la voix officielle de la mode').[2] Under the control of the Jalou family from the start of publication in 1977 until 2022 when 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 one of the oldest French mens fashion magazines in operation.
Editors
| Editor-in-Chief | Start year | End year |
|---|---|---|
| as L'Officiel Hommes (1977–1991) | ||
| Georges Jalou | 1977 | 1991 |
| as L'Officiel Homme (1996–1997) | ||
| Christian Moguéro | 1996[3] | 1997 |
| Emmanuel Rubin | 1996[3] | 1997 |
| as L'Officiel Hommes (2005–present) | ||
| Milan Vukmirovic | 2005 | 2011 |
| André Saravia | 2012 | 2015 |
| Baptiste Piégay | 2012 | 2024 |
| Pablo Arroyo | 2015 | 2019 |
History
L'Officiel Hommes was launched in 1977 and ceased publication in 1991.[4] The magazine was relaunched in 1996 as L'Officiel Homme, however, in 1997 the magazine rebranded to L'Optimum over a copyright dispute.[3] In 2005, L'Officiel Hommes restarted publication.[5] L'Optimum would cease publication in 2017 and the editorial staff of both publications would merge.
L'Officiel Hommes relaunched in 2005, overseen by Marie-José Susskind-Jalou and edited by Milan Vukmirovic (co-founder of Colette). Vukmirovic's appointment made him the first stylist editor-in-chief of a major French fashion magazine.[6][7]
In 2012, André a French graffiti artist and nightclub entrepreneur was appointed editor-in-chief and creative director of the publication, succeeding Vukmirovic following his 2011 exit from the magazine.[8][9]
In 2015, Pablo Arroyo was appointed creative director/editor-in-chief of the magazine, following Arroyo's departure in 2019 Baptiste Piégay took full control of the editor-in-chief position.[10]
Following the closure of L'Optimum in 2017 all staff were transferred to L'Officiel Hommes.[11]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the magazine reduced its print publications from eight issues a year to two issues per year in 2020.[12]
Controversy
Editor Andre Saraiva tagged and defaced National Park property in 2015:[13]
"As the best-known artist who has tagged in a national park, Saraiva has become a favorite target ever since his signature "OX" mark, revered when it adorns man-made structures, popped up on a boulder the size of a large dog kennel at Joshua Tree. He cofounded his error by denying that the boulder was in the park. Answering critics, he posted on Instagram saying his work was "made with love at friends privet back yard and not your national park! [sic]."
Readers then used Google satellite maps, latitude and longitude coordinates and their own field notes to pinpoint the boulder's exact location — inside the park. Facing a torrent of criticism, Saraiva had scrawled, his lawyer acknowledged, what he described as an "insignificant" artistic expression on the rock, using water-based paint that was erased a few days later. The attorney also demanded that Modern Hiker take down its article, saying it made Saraiva the target of "oppressive and unjustified messages that seriously harm his professional and private life."
Modern Hiker's lawyers replied that defacing a national park is prohibited under federal law and may be punishable by a fine and imprisonment. The article remained on the website. On 1 April, Saraiva paid a fine of $275 to the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, officials said. He could not be reached for comment."
Under the direction of André Saraiva, in winter 2012, Benicio del Toro appears on the winter cover of L'Officiel Hommes, looking dapper in his trademark suit and smoldering stare while carrying the stark naked and unconscious woman. The André Saraiva-shot cover is unarguably a bit disturbing. As Styleite notes, "What exactly is supposed to have happened right before the shot was taken? Is she a damsel in distress that was just saved by del Toro (because that would have some pretty sexist undertones), or is it something more sinister?"[14][15]
Again in summer 2013, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian appears nude on the summer cover. L'Officiel Hommes commissioned Nick Knight from SHOWstudio to shoot a classic story of the duo for their launch during Paris Fashion Week.[16][17]
International editors
Operating editions
| Country | Circulation dates | Editor-in-Chief | Start year | End year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China (时装 男士 L'Officiel Hommes China) | 2008–present[18] | Wesley Wang | ||
| Lawrence | present | |||
| Italy (L'Officiel Hommes Italia) | 2009–present[18] | Milan Vukmirovic | 2009 | 2011 |
| Pablo Arroyo | 2011 | 2014 | ||
| Gianluca Cantaro | 2014 | 2019 | ||
| Giampietro Baudo | 2019 | present | ||
| South Korea (L'Officiel Hommes Korea) | 2011–present[18] | Woo Lee Kyung | present | |
| Turkey (L'Officiel Hommes Türkiye) | 2013–present[18] | Gülen Yelmen | 2013 | 2015 |
| Bağlan Keskin | 2019 | 2023 | ||
| Derya Gursel | 2023 | present | ||
| Singapore (L'Officiel Hommes Singapore) | 2013–present | Ian Lee | 2022 | present |
| Thailand (L'Officiel Hommes Thailand) | 2018–present[19] | Kusuma Chaiyaporn | ||
| United States (L'Officiel Hommes USA) | 2020–present | Giampietro Baudo | 2020 | 2022 |
| Caroline Grosso | 2022 | present | ||
| Belgium (L'Officiel Hommes Belgium) | 2020–present | |||
| The Philippines (L'Officiel Hommes Philippines) | 2022–present | Joan Kong | 2024 | present |
| Malaysia (L'Officiel Hommes Malaysia) | 2022–present | John Ng | 2022 | present |
| Vietnam (L'Officiel Hommes Vietnam) | 2024–present | Nam Thi Le | 2024 | present |
| Hong Kong (L'Officiel Hommes Hong Kong SAR) | 2025–present | Angel Fong | 2025 | present |
Defunct editions
| Country | Circulation dates | Editor-in-Chief | Start year | End year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (L'Officiel Hommes Middle East) | 2007–2009 | |||
| 2013–2019[18] | Hassan El Saleh | 2013 | 2016 | |
| Greece (L'Officiel Hommes Hellas) | 2007–2009 | |||
| Germany (L'Officiel Hommes Deutsch) | 2009–2016[18] | Goetz Offergeld | ||
| Lebanon, Syria (L'Officiel Hommes Levant ) | 2010–2019[18] | Fifi Abou Dib | 2010 | 2019 |
| Ukraine (L'Officiel Hommes Ukraine) | 2010–2025[18] | Yaroslava Boyko | ||
| Aleksey Nilov | 2025 | |||
| Morocco (L'Officiel Hommes Maroc) | 2011–2025[18] | Sofia Benbrahim | 2011 | 2014 |
| Driss Douad | 2014 | 2025 | ||
| The Netherlands (L'Officiel Hommes NL) | 2011–2019[18] | Sandor Lubbe | 2011 | 2016 |
| Nicolette Goldsmann | 2016 | 2019 | ||
| Brazil (L'Officiel Hommes Brasil) | 2013–2025[18] | Erika Palomino | 2013 | |
| Patrícia Favalle | 2019 | 2025 | ||
| Switzerland (L'Officiel Hommes Suisse/Schweiz) | 2014–2018 | |||
| Latvia (L'Officiel Hommes Latvija) | 2015–2022 | |||
| Spain (L'Officiel Hommes España) | 2015–2018 | Andrés Rodriguez | 2015 | 2018 |
| Poland (L'Officiel Hommes Polska) | 2018–2021 | Sebastian Kustra | 2018 | 2021 |
| Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania (L'Officiel Hommes Baltic) | 2018–2023 | |||
| Austria (L'Officiel Hommes Austria) | 2022–2025 | Anna Znamensky | 2022 | 2024 |
| Sara Douedari | 2024 | 2025 | ||
| Cyprus (L'Officiel Hommes Cyprus) | 2023–2024 | Sara Douedari | 2023 | 2024 |
Other editions
- L'Officiel Hommes Fashion Worldwide (1986–198?)[20]
- L'Officiel Hommes Asia (2025–present)
- L'Officiel Hommes Japan (launching in 2026)[21]
See also
References
- ^ "L'Officiel Sold to Hong Kong-Based AMTD International". WWD. 2022-01-20.
- ^ "TGE Pioneers an Iconic Fashion Show at the New York Stock Exchange's Trading Floor". ir.thegenerationessentials.com. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
- ^ a b c "L'OFFICIEL HOMME". Premier Numéro (in French). Retrieved 2024-09-21.
- ^ BONNET, Philippe. "L'Officiel Homme revient, sévèrement friqué. Le mensuel édité par Jalou traitera de la consommation masculine haut de gamme". Libération (in French). Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ "French titles and international editions" (PDF). Les Editions Jalou. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ^ "L'Officiel Hommes". Editions Jalou. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2013-10-22.
- ^ Nicole Phelps (6 August 2012). "As Much as He Can Chew". Style.com.
- ^ "GQ 10 Essential". 10 August 2011.
- ^ Godfrey Deeny (12 May 2011). "L'Officiel Hommes Names Andre Saraiva Creative Director". Fashion Wire Daily. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
- ^ Guilbault, Laure (27 June 2015). "André Saraiva Exits L'Officiel Hommes". WWD. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
- ^ FR, FashionNetwork com. "Jalou Media Group : L'Optimum s'arrête pour renforcer L'Officiel Hommes". FashionNetwork.com (in French). Retrieved 2023-09-18.
- ^ Hays, Kali (2020-05-12). "L'Officiel Reducing Print as Freelancers Demand Long Overdue Payments". WWD. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
- ^ Graffiti artists' move to national parks shocks nature community Los Angeles Times. 25 April 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
- ^ "Benicio Del Toro Holds Naked Woman on L'Officiel Hommes Cover (NSFW PHOTO)". Huffington Post. 12 September 2012.
- ^ Samantha Randazzo (9 December 2012). "Benicio Del Toro's Controversial Cover For L'Officiel Hommes (NSFW)". Styleite.
- ^ David Fischer (25 February 2013). "Kim Kardashian and Kanye West Pose Nude for L'Officiel Hommes". Highsnobiety.
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE PORTRAITS OF KANYE AND KIM ON SHOWSTUDIO'S PINTEREST NICK KNIGHT FOR L'OFFICIEL HOMME". SHOWstudio. 2 March 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "L'Officiel 2013 Media Kit (International)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2018.
- ^ "'Men's Fitness' magazine ceases publication in Thailand while 'L'Optimum' to be revamped". nationthailand. 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ L'Officiel hommes fashion worldwide. Levallois-Perret: Officiel de la couture et de la mode de Paris. 1986.
- ^ "TGE's Successful Strategy in Japan Has Garnered Positive Feedback, Enhanced Market Exposure, and Established Solid Contribution to Business Growth". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
https://lofficielpolska.bigcartel.com/product/l-officiel-hommes-polska-nr-10-2020-2021 Model Josh McGregor stars on the cover of L'Officiel Hommes Poland December issue
External links
- Archive of the magazine (in French)
- Media related to L'Officiel Hommes at Wikimedia Commons