The interview with Martine Assouline is done via Zoom, from New York. She lives there with her husband, Prosper, since this city is the headquarters of the publishing house that they both founded in Paris in 1994. Assouline was created with the desire to reinvent the luxury book based on the experience of Martine and Prosper: a cosmopolitan and restless couple, with friends all over the world and a passion for culture.
Almost 30 years later, Assouline's books add up to 1,700 titles that cover an attractive range of topics: from the world of art to fashion, passing through great people, jewelry, decoration, wine, motoring and, of course, the most glamorous destinations.
Assouline's books convey a je ne sais quoi that has made them a sign of status, as well as being the testimony of impeccable editorial work and boundless curiosity. These qualities are also reflected in Martine Assouline, who spoke to Magazine on the occasion of the publisher's upcoming 30th anniversary.
During the interview, Martine doesn't take off her trademark Jackie O.-style glasses (“I couldn't leave the house without them, I'm obsessed!”) and shows that affability and glamor go perfectly together. Although her books serve to escape, she keeps her feet firmly on the ground.
You have said that you belong to a “homeland without borders”, but where are your roots?
My background is varied, starting with my grandmothers: one was Russian-Greek, while the other was from Puerto Rico. In my family there is a mixture of cultures, with many stories, which have always interested me. I was born in Africa, in the Ivory Coast, but I spent my adolescence basically in Peru: I consider myself a Peruvian at heart. Although what intertwines everything is French culture: the schools, my parents, who were very French, the readings...
Were you already interested in books as a child?
Yeah! She devoured them. I loved fantasy, I read the collections of La Bibliothèque Rose
Before becoming an editor, she studied Law in France… What happened to the law?
I left him to go to Peru, because I fell in love with a friend from adolescence and decided to return. My father was furious, but I got married and we had a son. The option of continuing with the Law was not contemplated. Later I returned to Paris and worked as public relations for various firms. I became the communications director for Rochas and met Prosper.
And they decided to reinvent the concept of the “coffee-table book”, the luxury book: Do you remember the book that made you realize that you were doing something very special?
It was with the project on the history of fashion which, back then, in the early 90s, was my obsession. That was a time when there were great stylists, with a great vision. I learned a lot, because it was a huge project, in which what was important had to be condensed: that they were books, not a catalogue. I think we did something fantastic. When we went with Prosper to the Frankfurt fair and sold it to the whole world, I realized that we were doing something different from other publishers.
Fashion, jewelry, travel, boats, cars, wines, painting, design, poetry... Your catalog is very eclectic: where do your ideas come from?
At first it was just me and Prosper, so it was easy to get ideas and quickly know if they were good. How to start the different collections -Travel, the Ultimate Collection...- which are very important. Today, with all the books we have done, we clearly know if a subject is very Assouline or not; although I love the challenge of publishing about new things, getting to know other worlds.
Your firm is global, but still a family business: how do you separate the two worlds?
It is the most difficult. Sometimes we have very heavy days and when we return home, with Prosper, in the taxi… Even if we don't want to talk about business, the subject comes up.
His two sons, Sébastien and Alex, work at Assouline. How do you raise two boys with well-furnished heads in such a sophisticated environment?
For me, the most important thing was to instill in them the notion that there are other cultures, to open their minds. My children have accompanied us at every stage of our lives and the business: we knew the Chanel people, we were close friends with Azzedine Alaïa, we went to Venice often, to niche places, with friends... We lived our lives and our work and the children accompanied us. For them this world was something natural.
During these years you have met many celebrities: Who has made the most impression on you?
I would say that Franca Sozzani, director of Vogue Italia, which for me was the most creative Vogue for years: She had so much intelligence, so much vision! She adored her. For this reason, when she died, I wanted to publish a book that corresponded to her figure, that in the coming years could help to understand her. Another woman, with a lot of personality, is the designer Diane von Fürstenberg. I will never forget that at a very crucial moment, when we were opening our first Assouline store in Paris, she came. She was a very famous person and very busy, but she gave us some of her time and gave us advice.
I also remember Lee Radziwill [Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's sister], who called me one day in New York and said she wanted to have lunch with me. We weren't very well known then, but she knew what she wanted and was direct: in Paris, one doesn't introduce oneself… We published Happy Times, based on her personal album, which was a success. Another woman who made an impression on me was Vivienne Westwood, who called me when we launched the fashion series and said: “I am coming to Paris because I would like to do a book with you”. She came alone, without secretaries... I adore people who go through life like this!
You also met the Queen of England...
Yeah! In London I saw a fantastic play about his relationship with his different prime ministers, which I thought was great, because I understood his importance and his intelligence. As soon as I left the theater I thought: “I have to meet her”. And so it was: the director of Cartier invited us to a polo tournament where she attended and we were part of a small group of guests.
Assouline later published a book on Elizabeth II. They have published others dedicated to charismatic women, such as Frida Kahlo, Maria Callas, Estée Lauder... Is feminism also present in her catalog?
Yes, but it's not forced. I am not a person who likes to belong to groups or communities; I want to be independent, in what I feel and in what I think. I like women, a lot, I have many friends, but I'm not a feminist. I never choose between a man and a woman.
They have been described as “librarians of luxury”. What is luxury to you?
It is a term that has evolved. When I was public relations, luxury, for me, was having time. Today, as the founder and owner of a company like this, luxury is paying attention to details: choosing a certain paper, a fabric, the font... That's luxury. The details.
Does luxury always have to be expensive?
Not at all. We were in Havana a few years ago, and a friend told us that the best restaurant was one called “el Pescador”… We looked for it everywhere, we ended up in a house and… there was the fisherman, with an old and dilapidated boat. They gave us what they had, with a very good wine. I remember that meal, with Prosper and my friends, as the best of my life. In a fisherman's house: that is the essence of luxury.
Can luxury be vulgar?
Yes absolutely. And every time it is more. There are all kinds of people, but there is a sense of luxury, of showing off, which I don't think is good. Showing too much what you have is kind of weird. Although, even in the vulgar, sometimes, you can find beauty.
They adore Seville. They have published a book on Eivissa and another on Sorolla: Is Spain an Assouline country?
We love Seville. The first time I went, I accompanied my father: he was in his twenties and lived in Paris at the time. When I arrived, I was in shock. I couldn't believe such a city existed. I told my father: “I can't leave!” Since then, we go every year, we have very good friends there… This year we went to Madrid for the first time, because our friend Jaime de Marichalar insisted on going. So we have been presenting Sorolla's book, and we have loved it. Spain is increasingly becoming an Assouline country. We want to do more things with Spain.
They celebrate their thirtieth anniversary in 2024: will the book remain at the center of Assouline in the future?
It's a good question, because now our son Alexandre is more and more in charge of the company. More than business people, Prosper and I are creative, so his vision is new, although Alex is putting into action an idea we had at the beginning: Assouline is not just a publisher, but a luxury and culture brand. He wants to expand this and now we have Assouline stores and items, like candles. Little by little, we are expanding into other types of companies, although the essence will always be books, because we love them.
