From concept to creation, Assouline elevates luxury brands by creating beautiful, bespoke editions. Tactile, physical books offer an escape from constant social media interruptions. More than ever, there is a renewed craving for analogue alternatives to contemporary media. Even old-school “lookbooks” are becoming collectors’ items, fuelled by Gen Z creatives looking for inspiration.
With all the 2026 noise about luxury houses pivoting towards Hollywood-style film production, French publisher Assouline has, since 1994, been quietly publishing high-end luxury books with — and about — luxury houses. These editions, rich in archives and history, give brands context, always accompanied by spectacular imagery.
A Family-Led Cultural Authority
Founded by Prosper and Martine Assouline — and now led by their son Alexandre, the company president — Assouline has, along with a roster of global collaborators, pioneered the idea of “books as objects”. Artists, photographers, writers, and designers have helped shape a catalogue that spans high culture, art, fashion, travel, and lifestyle. As it’s often said, what Cartier is to watches, Assouline is to books. Glossy-paged, plus-sized, hand-bound, hand-tipped, embossed, and foiled tomes reflect a shared passion for knowledge, culture, and travel, exploring the tasteful excesses and sensual splendours of contemporary life.
Thirty years on, they are still having tactile fun. Martine still picture-edits (often at a light table with glue and scissors), while Prosper hunts for unique antiques and one-of-a-kind pieces for the brand’s cabinet of curiosities. Alexandre oversees Assouline’s growing Culture Lounge concept, sometimes on-site but mostly from the New York office on Park Avenue. “The Assouline family’s cultural curiosity continues to shape the brand,” he says. “Assouline remains a cultural authority on luxury lifestyle because culture is the finest accessory.”
Beyond the Page
Today, the Assouline Collection features some 1 700 titles, with new arrivals constantly in development. The vision has expanded to include limited editions and library accessories — from leather-bound pieces and paper goods to cigar-scented candles, leather backgammon games, magnifying glasses and bookends — sold through international boutiques in prominent locations across the globe. The concept of “books as luxury gifts” also includes a white glove service: a curated, at-home personal library offering that works closely with clients to visualise, design and develop bespoke, one-of-a-kind book collections or private libraries.
Assouline boutiques are identifiable by their signature red walls, a hue inspired by Morocco, where Prosper was born. The Maison Assouline London recently added the Swans Bar, where guests can sip a 1950s vintage cocktail and buy Swans: Legends of the Jet Society.
Culture Lounges Around the World
The original branded boutique, located at 35 Rue Bonaparte in a premier Left Bank area of Paris, continues to showcase Classics, Legends, and the ever-escapist Travel From Home series, alongside luxury coffee table books, gifts, and curated Library Collection items. A 2025 store expansion focuses on the Ultimate Collection — Assouline’s famously oversized, handcrafted volumes that double as design pieces.
Also in Paris, at Hotel Plaza Athénée, an “immersive cultural destination” occupies a circa 1920s building. Within the Culture Lounge, visitors can indulge in The Impossible Collection titles, spanning art, watches, and cars. These interlocking collections are so rare that even with all the money in the world, one could never own every item — but one can own the books. They make a superb gift for the collector who has everything.
In New York, the Plaza Hotel — the historic 1905 landmark with its château-style architecture — provides an elegant setting for the Assouline boutique on the mezzanine level. The enchanting jewel-box shop serves as a sanctuary for art, design and travel enthusiasts, showcasing visually rich, high-end volumes. The Culture Lounge Library Collection here includes fragrant candles and diffusers inspired by cigar, leather, wood, and paper. Recent arrivals include James Bond Cars, From Louis to Vuitton, Guerlain and Richard Mille.
In the often impossible-to-own world of coveted objects, we want them all. With Assouline boutiques stretching from Mexico to the Middle East, this year marks a new chapter as the brand opens in North Africa — in Marrakech, Morocco, at La Mamounia Hotel. As with every opening, the occasion is marked by a suitably weighty tribute: a La Mamounia Hotel coffee-table book.
