Media Group Abril Shutters Brazilian Editions of Elle, Cosmopolitan
END GAME: Brazil’s fashion community was in shock on Tuesday following the shuttering of the local editions of Elle and Cosmopolitan magazines as part of a wide-ranging restructuring at struggling parent company Editora Abril.
Fashion editors, photographers and makeup artists expressed sadness after the magazines announced on Instagram that the August issues, currently on newsstands, would be their last. Brazilian media reported the reshuffle would result in the closure of 10 magazines and the loss of 500 jobs, including 170 editorial positions.
“Grupo Abril announces that, as part of its restructuring process, it is reshaping the publisher’s brand portfolio with the objective of guaranteeing its operational health in an environment of profound technological changes, whose impact has been felt throughout the media sector,” the group said.
The announcement follows a recent change in management at Grupo Abril, the parent company of the publishing arm. The Civita family, which owns the media conglomerate, last month handed over the running of the group to Marcos Haaland, managing director of the Brazilian arm of U.S. turnaround firm Alvarez & Marsal.
The Brazilian edition of Elle launched in 1988 and has gained a reputation for socially-conscious coverage, tackling themes including feminism, diversity and environmental responsibility.
“It established a leadership position as the first magazine in its segment to have a web site, launch a digital edition for tablets, produce video content and be present on all social networks,” the magazine said on Instagram.
“Elle was also a pioneer in being the first Brazilian fashion magazine to defend individual freedoms, to talk about feminism, to position itself on gender issues and to give more and more space to diversity,” it added, noting the last issue contained a fashion editorial shot in the Amazon alongside features on sustainable fashion.
Cosmopolitan, in turn, had been present in Brazil for 45 years.
Model Luciana Curtis, who shot her first Brazilian Elle cover at the age of 15, said it was a huge loss for the local publishing landscape. “It’s the magazine I have worked with the most in the country,” she told the daily newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo, commonly known as Estadão. “I am shocked.”
Adriana Bozon, creative director of Brazilian denim label Ellus, posted a slide show on Instagram of Elle covers featuring the brand’s designs. “This is a great loss for the culture and fashion of our country. Elle brought a new language to fashion and its readers, it was transgressive and ahead of its time,” she told Estadão.
Related stories
Nina Garcia, Stellene Volandes Bulk Up Elle, Town & Country Mastheads
NewBeauty's New Editor Aiming For More Women and More 'Heart'
Joanna Coles' Journals Turned Fodder for 'The Bold Type'
Get more from WWD: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
