This is an episode of the Glossy Fashion Podcast, which features candid conversations about how today’s trends are shaping the future of the fashion industry. More from the series →
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Assouline, the publishing house turned luxury lifestyle brand, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year — but, it seems, it’s just getting started.
Largely driven by Alexandre Assouline — the company’s chief of operations, brand and strategy and the son of its founders — Assouline is in growth mode: In addition to rolling out new product categories and services, it’s expanding its physical footprint and introducing new digital products, including a digital magazine and podcast.
“The library is at the forefront of everything we do; we aim to own the library space as a luxury brand,” Assouline said on the latest Glossy Podcast. “Your library is around you and your life every day, and it says a lot about you. When someone sees your library, they can identify your areas of interest, how you put books together, and the thematics of the books that you purchase and are being gifted to you. It’s a place of creativity and inspiration. And we’ve been in the business of developing things around the library for 30 years.”
Also in the episode, Assouline discusses the company’s plans to “redefine publishing as a luxury experience.” And he shares the brand’s physical expansion plans. Excerpts from the conversation, below, have been lightly edited for clarity.
A service-based business opportunity
“I’ve started to work with real estate developers to develop libraries as amenities in buildings. I’ve done lots of buildings on 57th Street in New York, for example, and then some in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and so on — so, mostly U.S.-based and mostly in hotels and as amenities in luxury condos. … And [recently], I’ve launched the service for private clients, as well. I already have a good list of people who are very interested in it for their new summer home in the south of France or for a big library in a house in Southeast Asia or the Middle East. … But, as the company moves from products to services, it becomes a bit more delicate. We need to come in with the right contractors and mill workers to develop these spaces, for example. It’s not just about curating books on a shelf.”
Assouline’s fashion roots
“My parents started to do books here and there about their friends, like Azzedine Alaïa who had the fashion brand. … And after that, they wanted to tell stories about brands, with a point of view. And they became very successful. So fashion brands were really at the forefront of the brand. … We claimed to be the No. 1 publisher on fashion, at some point. … Now, [our focus is] a bit more about culture, in general. We do a lot of travel books. We do a lot of design and architecture books, too. But fashion is still very important. … We’re [good at fashion] because we know how to treat a subject.”
‘Scary’ next steps
“In general, the Covid time made us evolve a lot — yes, because people were focusing more on their homes, but also, for us, as a family, it helped us reflect and redefine our strategies and what we wanted to do. Rather than the [routine] of, ‘Keep going, and try to catch the next project,’ we had to take a pause and understand where we were going and what the foundations and essentials of that brand development were. … You always have challenges when you launch new products. … It’s scary, right? Because you’re known for a certain product that works very well. And now, when you try something new, you’re showing the customers that you can fail. You need to show, ‘OK, if you trust me, you should see that product and love it.’ And if they don’t, there’s a bit of a bridge that starts developing.”
