Assouline

Assouline Publishing is the first publishing house specialising in books on high fashion, art, design, architecture and music. Having opened in 1994 in France, it immediately became a leader in its field - and a breath of fresh air for the Russian book market.

The publishing house was founded by husband and wife Prosper and Maarten Assouline. The impulse came from a desire to make fashion books more attractive and interesting for a wide range of readers and fans of the fashion industry.

Assouline works with leading fashion houses and top brands who entrust him with their stories. These include fashion legends such as Christian Dior, Elie Saab, Chanel, Bulgari, Cartier, Valentino and more. In addition, the brand was the first in the world to open book boutiques as opposed to regular bookstores.

A book is the best gift. And an accessory.

The main activity of Assouline is the production of gift editions, each of which can both acquaint the readers with the achievements in the field of culture and decorate the interior.

The publishing house also publishes a series of guides to key fashion capitals and digests of the world's best hotels.

All the books by Assouline are similar to glossy magazines: they are distinguished by thick paper, the highest quality printing, exquisite design, and an easy-to-read style. At the same time, they are really informative, not boring, but not superficial either. The brand's books focus on visual perception and train your keen eye: the illustrations are by world-renowned photographers, only the best of the best.

The secret of the firm

Assouline describes itself as an artisan but categorises the brand's books as luxury goods. Each Assouline book is a source not just of dry information, but also of emotion, aesthetic pleasure and, of course, inspiration. The publishing house places style and beauty above all else and, as the founders admit, they are prepared to sacrifice profit for quality. Such an approach, however, pays off handsomely: almost every new edition of the publishing house is an instant bestseller, and Assouline's corners and boutiques operate in the most prestigious retail outlets in fashionable metropolitan areas.

In an interview, Martin Assouline said: people buy Assouline books to live with them for the rest of their lives. In the age of digitalisation, the publisher is successfully proving that paper books are alive and well.