Pen pals: Burda magazines from around the world

They are the voices of fashion – from high street to high end. Thanks to their global brand recognition, magazines like "Instyle", "Gault & Millau", or "Harper’s Bazaar" find audiences around the world and have therefore long-established local offshoots of their original flagship editions. In Germany, these are published by Hubert Burda Media. How are these international brands led in the German market and how are they doing? In this episode, the editor-in-chief of German Elle, Sabine Nedelchev, tells us all about their national edition and how close they cooperate with the international Elle family.

• Name: Elle
• Expertise: fashion and lifestyle
• Brand founded in 1945 in France
• Published in over 60 countries
• German version published by Burda since 1988
• Elle is considered the world's largest fashion magazine.

Sabine Nedelchev, how long have you been editor-in-chief of Elle?

Since July 2002.

How has Elle changed since then?

We have continuously worked on further advancing Elle over these years - always with the special characteristics of the German market and the needs of the female readers in mind. As a result, Elle occupies a unique position in the German media landscape. Located in the luxury segment, but at the same time friendly and approachable.

How close does the Elle family work together globally – Is there a lot of contact or is each magazine run independently?

There is no direct connection.  However, all countries are connected worldwide through Elle International. The brand rights of the individual editions are also located there. The titles operate independently and country-specific, but also share some content such as fashion spreads, interviews and stories.

Is there any crossover in content or do you create everything specifically for the German market?

We work largely independently for the German market. The international Elle brands are positioned quite differently in their respective markets. Therefore, it is important to focus on exactly one's own USP in one's own country. One of the keys to our success is that we know our readers and their specific needs very well and that we respond to them very precisely. We also tap into the Elle International pool when stories and productions are of interest to our readers, and of course share our contributions with other international editions.

How many people are involved in the creation of German Elle?

31 people are involved in the creation of Elle Germany, which is published annually with about 30 issues (including extensions, special issues and specials).

Last, but not least: Please describe your brand in three aspects!

Elle loves the finer things in life, sets trends and inspires.