ITOCHU Corporation recently has contracted with the French company, Hachette Filipacchi Press for exclusive sales of the ELLE en noir brand of ladies formal wear. The brand will debut on the Japanese market in spring and summer of 2008 through the sub-licensee, Tokyo Soir, Co., Ltd. (headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Tomio Hagiwara).

The heart of the ELLE brand, ELLE Magazine, has grown as an influential French magazine since its premier issue in France in 1945. ELLE Magazine entered the overseas market in 1985 and presently has 39 magazines in 26 different languages. It is proud to publish 70 million issues a year. ELLE's devoted readers number over 20 million and encompass a wide readership that cuts across cultures. ELLE magazine shares fashion, beauty, and lifestyle information through fresh ideas and a novel, exquisite visual format. It targets women attune to global trends who are leaders in fashion and enjoy a stylish, dynamic life on their own terms.

Currently, the ELLE brand is licensed on the Japanese market to approximately 35 companies and offers a way of life through fashion, home, and interior design. A variety of items are marketed and sold predominantly through department stores and specialty shops.

As the 30s woman makes social inroads, more and more are seeking sophisticated formal wear that, unlike the standardized formal wear that has been offered until now, expresses who they are while showing sensitivity to fashion and taking Japanese culture, custom, and social standing into account. ELLE en noir meets these needs by offering women in their late 20s to 30s ladies formal wear through which they can express themselves. It will be sold through Tokyo Soir from spring and summer 2008.

Two lines are being developed. One line is being styled under the theme, "more stylish, more expressive" and will offer excellent design that can be mixed and matched by adding different accents, making it extremely versatile and appropriate to wear in a wide variety of situations. The other line is being styled under the theme, "simple, refined elegance" and will offer attractive formal wear that is elegant and simple, yet incorporates trends.

The retail sale price will be 46,000—59,000 yen, and the formal wear will be sold at major mass merchandisers and specialty stores in Japan. Based on the retail price, sales are expected to increase to 2 billion yen after 3 years.