As we complete 24 years of ELLE India, we look back at the journey through some of its most impactful covers. Almost two and a half decades of powerful fashion, and beauty content, alongside real stories of vigour and strength, punctuated with a heavy dose of art and culture. We dug deep into the archives and encountered the early days of Indian fashion when supermodels dominated the circuit, and designers unabashedly showcased their bold creativity.
Always ahead of the curve, ELLE India has had many epic firsts during its long expansive years. Whether it was putting a pregnant model (Aditi Govitrikar) displaying her bump in its full glory in the ’90s or wrapping International runway icons like Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell in the traditional six yards. ELLE has always broken the conventional mould to push the envelope when it comes to inclusivity and exposure. The wide range of cover stars featured across (almost) three decades highlighted each of those eras for what it represented. Supermodels in the ‘9os, Bollywood celebrities in the 2000s and a mixed bag of global game-changers in the 2010s.
A host of international celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kailing, Zayn Malik and Zadie Smith made their Indian cover debut on ELLE, making it extra special for its loyal readers. As we move ahead into the new decade, ELLE will continue to write history by going against the popular norm and carving its own niche on its own terms. The future holds more indomitable covers and poignant content that will change and challenge the conventional course of dialogue around fashion, beauty, art and culture.
Here’s a throwback to some of our favourite covers over the last 24 years:
