
On Tuesday
we brought you Part I of posh publisher Prosper Assouline's ten essential luxuries. Luxist readers will be familiar with the beautiful and stylish
books published by his luxe 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. Picking up where we left off the other day regarding the evolution of Assouline into luxury brand whose medium is culture, the company established retail positions first in
Bergdorf Goodman, and then at ten
Saks Fifth Avenue stores, as well as Celux (Tokyo), A Editores (Mexico City), Lane Crawford (
Hong Kong), Harvey Nichols (
Dubai), Holt Renfrew (Toronto), Librissime (Montreal),
Sotheby's (New York), Teatro Verde (
Toronto), and Zai (Qatar). The desire to showcase the concept of 'books as gifts' has led to the creation of a full retail program of strategic partnerships to open Assouline branded corners around the world.
As part of Assouline's positioning as a luxury brand, the first standalone Assouline boutique opened in
Paris on Place Saint Germain des Prés in 2005. Conceived as a contemporary
library, the boutique features the complete collection of books and luxury products. Assouline created the other items around the books, such as Book scented
candles, a leather
Coach designed library, and a variety of slipcased products and limited edition volumes. Also featured is the
Goyard trunk, designed by Prosper Assouline with Goyard as a means to capture the nostalgia of traveling with books. Another one of Prosper's designs is the Assouline Library, a handcrafted bookcase featuring 150 books on style released in 2004 that has was an immediate sensation. Click through to the gallery to see Part II of Prosper's 10 essential luxuries, from hats and
yachts to bars and cars, and find out what makes them a must.
EARLIER:
Posh Publisher Prosper Assouline's Ten Essential Luxuries, Part I