EXCLUSIVE: Posh Publisher Prosper Assouline's Ten Essential Luxuries, Part I

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
Jun 22nd 2010 at 9:02AM

Luxist readers will be familiar with the beautiful and stylish books published by French imprint Assouline; perhaps less so with the man who founded and runs the company. A master of savoir faire, Prosper Assouline is known for merging the modern and the classical in publishing and creative design. The former artistic director of several French fashion magazines, Prosper's resumé includes creating and launching his own magazine, and the founding of a creative agency specializing in branding and advertising in the late 1980s. With a vision of true luxury in print, he founded Assouline Publishing with his wife, Martine Assouline, in Paris in 1995, creating a world of exclusivity in books and brand identity. Under the direction of Prosper, Assouline has invented a visual language that is internationally recognized for its excellence.

After establishing the imprint as the world's most renowned publisher of high-quality illustrated volumes on fashion and style, Prosper opened an office in New York in 2001, which became the brand's international headquarters. In the past 15 years, Assou has published over 750 titles across international markets ranging on subjects including art, architecture, design, fashion, gastronomy, photography, travel and viticulture. The first collection of monographs on the history of fashion, art, and design, Assouline's Memoire series, includes over 250 titles on such legendary names as Azzedine Aläia, Chanel, Charles James, Dolce & Gabbana, and Marc Jacobs. Assouline creates products that stand alone as objets d'art; they have a beauty and a point of view that make them desirable to own and incorporate into the most discerning collections. Click through to the gallery to see Part 1 of Prosper's 10 essential luxuries, from hats and yachts to bars and cars, and find out what makes them a must.

Gallery: Posh Publisher Prosper Assouline's 10 Luxuries, Part I