Assouline Publishing
Assouline Publishing is a New York–based luxury publisher and lifestyle company known for visually rich books, branded boutiques, interiors, and curated luxury objects.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Assouline Publishing is a privately held luxury publishing and lifestyle company founded in 1994 by Prosper and Martine Assouline. The business began as a family operation in the basement of the couple’s Paris apartment and developed from a specialized art and culture publisher into a global design-led brand. Its first book, La Colombe d’Or, documented the history of the couple’s favorite hotel in the South of France, combining Martine Assouline’s writing with photographs by Prosper Assouline. The project established several characteristics that would become central to the company: strong visual identity, travel and hospitality subject matter, close attention to physical production, and a connection between books and luxury environments. Assouline’s early publishing program concentrated on art, architecture, fashion, jewelry, design, photography, gastronomy, travel, and lifestyle. In 1996 it introduced the Memoire collection, a series devoted to important individuals and companies in fashion, jewelry, design, and art. Early subjects included Azzedine Alaïa, Chanel, Vionnet, and Dior. The series was distributed in ten languages and achieved international circulation, helping establish the company’s reputation for collectible illustrated books rather than conventional mass-market publishing. The company expanded its physical presence as well as its catalog. It opened its first Paris office one year after its founding, a corner boutique in the Bergdorf Goodman Building in 2003, and its first standalone Paris boutique in 2006. Prosper and Martine Assouline relocated to New York City in 2007, making the city an important base for the company’s subsequent international development. That same year, Assouline began partnering with the Council of Fashion Designers of America, reinforcing its position at the intersection of publishing, fashion, and design. During the 2010s, Assouline broadened its activities beyond books. It opened Maison Assouline in London in 2014, a flagship concept incorporating a restaurant and bar known as the Swans Bar, along with furniture, rare objects, and luxury gifts. In 2015 the company launched Assouline Interiors, a furnishings collection described as haute couture for interiors. It also developed accessories, bookbags, bindery-related products, and other objects intended to extend the brand’s aesthetic into personal and domestic spaces. Collaborations with brands including Zara, Oliver Peoples, and Gucci further connected its publishing output with fashion, retail, and luxury culture. Assouline has also created bespoke libraries and lounges for private clients, hotels, and commercial properties. These projects can combine interior design, furniture, vintage objects, accessories, and curated books, positioning the company as both a publisher and a cultural-space designer. Its branded corners and retail presences have appeared in a range of international locations, including Spain, Monaco, South Africa, Ukraine, Greece, Bolivia, and Manila. The company has published more than 1,700 titles, according to the referenced account, and is particularly associated with colorful travel books, the Handcrafted Ultimates collection, the Classics collection, and signed or limited editions. Examples of its more experimental production include a waterproof book about the South Pole and Gaia, a volume featuring photographs taken aboard the International Space Station by Guy Laliberté. LVMH acquired a minority stake in Assouline in 2013, providing a connection to the wider luxury-goods sector while leaving the company identified with its founding family. As of 2022, Prosper and Martine Assouline’s son Alex was serving as chief of operations, brand, and strategy. Assouline’s current identity therefore rests on the integration of collectible publishing, luxury retail, hospitality, interiors, and cultural storytelling.
History
Assouline Publishing was established in 1994 by Prosper and Martine Assouline in Paris. The company initially operated from the basement of the founders’ apartment, reflecting its origins as a family publishing venture rather than as a division of an established media group. Its first publication was La Colombe d’Or, a book about a celebrated hotel in the South of France. Prosper contributed photography and Martine contributed text, creating a model in which the founders’ editorial and visual sensibilities were directly expressed in the product. The company opened its first office on rue Danielle Casanova in Paris one year later. In 1996 it launched the Memoire collection, which focused on influential names and houses in fashion, jewelry, design, and art. Books on Alaïa, Chanel, Vionnet, and Dior formed part of the early program. The collection was made available in ten languages and sold internationally, helping Assouline develop a global audience for highly designed, illustrated books. Retail became an important part of the company’s development. Assouline opened a corner boutique in the Bergdorf Goodman Building in 2003 and a standalone Paris boutique in 2006. In 2007, Prosper and Martine Assouline moved to New York City. The move gave the company a stronger presence in the American luxury, fashion, design, and publishing markets. Assouline also began working with the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2007. The publisher’s subject range expanded across architecture, art, design, fashion, gastronomy, lifestyle, photography, and travel. It also pursued technically distinctive formats. In 2012, it produced a waterproof book about the South Pole and published Gaia, a volume built around photographs taken on the International Space Station by Guy Laliberté. These projects demonstrated the company’s willingness to treat format, materials, and visual presentation as part of the editorial proposition. In 2011, Prosper Assouline received the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres from France’s Ministry of Culture. In 2013, LVMH acquired a minority stake. The investment associated Assouline with the international luxury sector while the company continued to operate under its founding identity. In 2014, the London Maison Assouline opened as a flagship combining books with a hospitality and retail environment. The venue included the Swans Bar and sold furniture, rare objects, and gifts in addition to publications. Beginning in the 2010s, Assouline increasingly described itself as a luxury lifestyle brand. The company introduced Assouline Interiors in 2015 and expanded into accessories, bookbags, bindery, furniture, and decorative objects. It also created bespoke libraries and lounges for private clients, hotels, and buildings. These commissions could include books, furniture, interiors, vintage pieces, and accessories, allowing Assouline to supply both the cultural content and the environment in which that content was displayed. The brand extended its international footprint through boutiques and branded corners in locations including Spain, Monaco, South Africa, Ukraine, Greece, Bolivia, and Manila. It also collaborated with companies such as Zara, Oliver Peoples, and Gucci. By 2020, the company had published more than 1,700 titles. Its continuing collections included travel books, the Handcrafted Ultimates collection, the Classics collection, and signed limited editions. As of 2022, Alex Assouline, the founders’ son, was chief of operations, brand, and strategy, indicating the continuing role of the Assouline family in the company’s management.
- 2020
Catalog exceeds 1,700 titles
[1]Assouline is reported to have published more than 1,700 books.
- 2016
Art de Vivre award
[1]The French Institute Alliance Française gives the Assoulines its Art de Vivre award for their publications.
- 2015
Assouline Interiors launches
[1]Assouline enters furnishings with an interiors collection extending the brand beyond books.
- 2014
Maison Assouline opens in London
[1]The company launches a London flagship combining publishing, retail, and hospitality.
- 2013
LVMH takes a minority stake
[1]LVMH acquires a minority interest in Assouline.
- 2012
Special-format and space-photography books are published
[1]The company produces a waterproof South Pole book and publishes Gaia, featuring photographs made aboard the International Space Station.
- 2011
Prosper Assouline receives the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres
[1]France’s Ministry of Culture recognizes Prosper Assouline for his work in publishing.
- 2007
Founders relocate to New York City
[1]Prosper and Martine Assouline move to New York City, strengthening the company’s base in the United States.
- 2007
Partnership with the Council of Fashion Designers of America begins
[1]Assouline begins a relationship with the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
- 2006
First standalone Paris boutique opens
[1]The company opens its first independent boutique in Paris.
Products and positioning
A luxury lifestyle and publishing house that treats books as collectible design objects and extends their themes into retail, hospitality, interiors, furniture, and curated gifts.
Book series · 1996
Memoire collection
Introduced in 1996, the Memoire collection focuses on notable people, brands, and houses in fashion, jewelry, design, and art. Its early subjects included Alaïa, Chanel, Vionnet, and Dior. The series was produced in ten languages and helped define Assouline’s approach to combining cultural documentation with luxury-oriented visual presentation.
Illustrated books
Travel series
Assouline’s travel books present destinations, hotels, regions, and cultural settings through photography, historical narrative, and highly designed physical formats. The travel program is one of the company’s most recognizable publishing areas and supports its broader association with hospitality, tourism, and aspirational lifestyle.
Luxury book collection
Handcrafted Ultimates collection
The Handcrafted Ultimates collection represents Assouline’s premium approach to bookmaking. These volumes emphasize materials, binding, scale, and presentation, treating the publication as a collectible object suitable for display in private libraries, hospitality settings, and designed interiors.
Book collection
Classics collection
The Classics collection groups established Assouline subjects and enduring cultural themes in collectible formats. It forms part of the company’s continuing catalog strategy alongside travel titles, special editions, and other visually led books.
Furniture and interiors · 2015
Assouline Interiors
Launched in 2015, Assouline Interiors extends the publishing brand into furnishings. The collection was presented as a haute couture-inspired interiors line and is part of a wider offering that includes furniture, accessories, vintage objects, and design services.
Retail and hospitality concept · 2014
Maison Assouline
Maison Assouline is a flagship retail concept that combines books with furniture, rare objects, luxury gifts, and hospitality. The London location, opened in 2014, includes the Swans Bar and illustrates the company’s strategy of turning its publishing identity into a physical lifestyle environment.
Brand decisions
2015
Launch Assouline InteriorsProduct launchBackground
Assouline had begun selling furniture, gifts, and other objects alongside books in its retail environments.
Action taken
The company introduced Assouline Interiors, a furnishings collection described as haute couture for interiors.
Aftermath
The launch formalized the company’s move into furniture and interior-related products.
2014
Develop Maison Assouline as a lifestyle flagshipStrategyBackground
The company was expanding beyond publishing into luxury retail, objects, and hospitality.
Action taken
Assouline opened Maison Assouline in London, combining a bookstore and luxury retail environment with the Swans Bar.
Aftermath
The flagship became a visible expression of Assouline’s strategy to position books within a broader lifestyle and hospitality setting.
2013
Accept minority investment from LVMHM&ABackground
Assouline had developed from a family publishing house into an internationally oriented luxury and lifestyle brand.
Action taken
LVMH acquired a minority stake in Assouline.
Aftermath
The investment connected Assouline with the broader luxury-goods sector while the company continued to operate under its founding family identity.
Recent events
- 2015
Assouline launches Assouline Interiors[1]
Product launch
The publisher expanded into furnishings with an interiors collection positioned as a haute couture-oriented extension of its luxury design identity.
- 2014
Assouline opens Maison Assouline in London[1]
Other
The company opened a London flagship concept called Maison Assouline, combining books, luxury objects, furniture, and hospitality through the Swans Bar.
- 2013
LVMH acquires a minority stake in Assouline[1]
M&A
LVMH took a minority stake in the company, linking the family-founded publisher to one of the world’s largest luxury groups.
Sources1 sources
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