• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, February 8, 2007

Elle magazine is partnering with Kohl's department stores to introduce a line of branded clothing, owner Lagardère Active Media announced Wednesday. The announcement coincides with the magazine's coverage of New York's Fashion Week--a time of peak readership. No details about the new clothing line were available at press time, but given the venue and the magazine's editorial mission, it seems likely it will try to deliver the feel of current brand name designers in a more modest price range.

The move comes on the heels of big changes at the magazine's parent companies, including the merging of magazine publisher Hachette Filippachi with Lagardère Active Media in October 2006. The reorganization, undertaken at the behest of corporate boss Arnaud Lagardère, put a single executive--Didier Quillot--in charge of both companies. Formerly the chief of European telecom giant Orange, Quillot's appointment signaled the opening of a campaign to streamline Lagardère's global publishing operations, moving them into digital content distribution more aggressively.

Hachette Filipacchi is one of the world's largest consumer magazine publishers, reaching an audience of about 50 million in the United States alone through enthusiast magazines, including American Photo, Boating, and Flying as well as Elle and Premiere, among others. Arnaud Lagardère wants to strengthen the cooperation between Hachette and Lagardère Active North America, which has already worked with Hachette properties to create mobile content, including Car & Driver Mobile, Elle Mobile and American Photo Mobile.

In July 2006 Elle.com partnered with Bravo to provide editorial content for a fashion microsite centered on "Project Runway," a reality show about aspiring fashion designers competing for a shot at the big time. The microsite, Runway Radar, was designed and launched by Fallon, which also pitched the original concept to Bravo, said Ryan McKeever, Fallon's media supervisor for the project.

But the announcement of a new Elle-branded clothing line indicates digital content isn't the only item on the corporate agenda. By getting involved with clothing retailing, Elle is following the lead of other consumer mags that have tried to expand their presence with branded products. In 2005 Dennis Publishing's Maxim introduced its Maxim Living line products, including bath and personal care products, barware, furniture, vitamins, beverages and food. More recently the magazine announced plans for a giant Las Vegas casino and a chain of steakhouses.