It was in the mid-1990s that Prosper and Martine Assouline started publishing luxury books on culture, and revolutionized the world of art books...

A common passion

Both lovers of books, he very comfortable in the world of images, she more in that of text, Martine Assouline sees a real opportunity there and suggests to her husband to launch together in the edition of art books. They then moved into a converted cellar and launched the Assouline editions; books that they imagine without a guideline, books that they would like to read, the particularity of which is that they are illustrated with beautiful photos.

An immediate success

Assouline's founding book? The one that retraces the history of the Colombe d'or, this mythical hotel in the heart of Saint Paul de Vence which saw the greatest film stars of the 50s and 60s. It is the success of this first opus that pushes then the couple to continue the adventure.

But it is really the publishing of books on major fashion brands such as Chanel, Dior or Alaïa that made the project of these two enthusiasts take off. Success is immediate; the books conquer a very wide audience and are exported internationally with translations in eight languages. The couple then decided to develop places dedicated to the sale of their books, starting with the opening of a corner at Bergdorf in New York, then flagship stores in Paris, London and New York. Today, it is the editions on cities such as Saint Tropez, Mykonos or Capri that are snapped up in all the shops...

So if you are passionate about books, art and beautiful objects, go quickly follow the beautiful Assouline adventure...