ELLE Style Awards position Sanya as a style capital

The ELLE Style Awards, known as the Oscars of the fashion world, made its debut in Sanya, Hainan province, on Tuesday, positioning the tropical coastal city as a new global fashion capital. The event also celebrates the 80th anniversary of ELLE Magazine.

The ceremony merged Sanya's natural landscape with Eastern aesthetics for an immersive cultural experience. A red carpet wound through coconut groves as more than 100 international celebrities, models, and creative pioneers gathered where haute couture meets ocean breezes.

Daisy Wang, CEO of Hearst Greater China, which owns ELLE China, explained the symbolism of the event's Infinity ∞ theme. "It represents both a cycle and the infinite—not as opposing ideas, but as two sides of the same coin," she said. The cycle, she noted, signifies the renewal of classic values like the optimistic, confident, and independent spirit of women ELLE has championed for eight decades. The infinite represents breaking boundaries as ELLE transformed from a print magazine into a multimedia creator spanning digital, video, social, and live events.

Wang emphasized that in an era reshaped by AI, ELLE remains committed to human-centered creativity. "We no longer are just a magazine," she said. "We convey a lifestyle attitude and temperature that inspires women."

Reflecting on ELLE's journey in China, Wang identified three stages. In 1988, ELLE entered China as the first officially licensed international fashion magazine, acting as a "window to the world". In the new millennium, it shifted from being an international trend transmitter to a chronicler of Chinese stories, spotlighting figures like models Lyu Yan and Du Juan and rising Chinese designers. Over the past decade, ELLE has evolved into a multimedia "open salon", fostering dialogue on women's empowerment beyond fashion.

"We've shifted from a 'letter from afar' to a 'diary' for Chinese women, and now to a community," Wang said.

Sun Zhe, ELLE Omnimedia editor-in-chief, added that ELLE has become one of the world's most widely read fashion magazines. "Fashion is not just what you wear," he said. "It's a cultural force and an expression of women's pursuit of excellence."

Sun noted the revolutionary change in the identity and expression of Chinese women since the magazine entered China. "What moves us is not how much women have changed, but that change continues," he said. "This is what infinity truly means."