The French publisher has appointed Tunis-based firm Nissa Editions Group as the local licensing partner and Cairo-based fashion media veteran Susan Sabet as both managing director and editor-in-chief of the new title.
An online edition of the magazine, with bilingual navigation in Arabic and English, went live yesterday. A print edition is set to launch in September.
“This new venture with Nissa Editions will enable the development of the Elle brand in this new territory for us that is Egypt. I am confident that Elle’s universal values, fashion, beauty, culture, society, and lifestyle unique point of view and high-quality journalism will inspire women in Egypt and resonate with them,” said François Coruzzi, Elle International Licenses CEO.
Sabet, a partner in the new venture, is a pioneering figure in the fashion media industry of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. In 2003, she founded Pashion, a pan-Arab fashion and beauty magazine distributed across the region, leading the title as both publisher and editor-in-chief until recently when it ceased operations. As co-founder of the Egyptian Fashion & Design Council, Sabet co-launched Egypt Fashion Week in 2023.
“After over 20 years in the fashion and lifestyle publishing business I am very proud and excited to take on this new venture in my career. Especially so, as finally a leading international publishing company has recognised and is honouring Egypt, its people and immense market potential to create an international platform to highlight and share our stories,” said Sabet.
Under Sabet’s direction, the title will publish a mixture of international, regional and local content. A snapshot of the latterhas already been released on the Elle.eg site including features on Egyptian actresses Mona Zaki, Injy El Mokadem and Tara Emad as well as the country’s iconic female cultural figures from the last century like the singer Umm Kulthum and actress Youssra.
Nissa Editions, a Tunisian company led by chief executive Mouna Khalfallah, has a presence in Cairo where Elle Egypt is headquartered. The firm is active in media and event organisation in the MENA region, specialising in the fashion, beauty, jewellery and watches, cars, yachts, art and real estate industries.
The launch marks the 46th international edition of Elle magazine. In the region, Lagardère Group has published an Elle Arabia edition since 2006, currently in partnership with Dubai-based Patrimony Media for the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) markets comprising the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. Turkey has had its own edition since 1999. Previously, Lagardère also had a title called Elle Oriental based in Lebanon, but that edition has since been amalgamated into Elle Arabia.
The new Egyptian edition of Elle is the first of its kind, dedicated to a single Arabic-speaking country in the Middle East. “The largest country in the Arabic-speaking world and North Africa is blessed with a history, culture and people that offer endless fascinating storytelling and a huge market demand for international and high-quality brands aimed specifically at women,” said Khalfallah.
Learn more:
A New Era of Arab-Led Fashion Media
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