Kris Van Assche has hundreds of books lining the shelves of his Paris apartment — and hundreds more in storage.
His collection was constructed over 25 years, so it was “really hard to make a selection” when WWD asked him to select a few favorites, he says.
He narrowed it down to seven titles, providing a short description for each:
“Libretto” by Paolo Roversi
Published by Steidl, 2000
“A sublime, small-size book by Paolo Roversi with all clothes by Comme des Garçons.”
“Talking to Myself” by Yohji Yamamoto
Published by Carla Sozzani Editore, 2002
“A limited and numbered (by hand, mine is number 2,038) edition with cult images by Nick Knight, Peter Lindbergh, and many others.”
“Mode in de Lage Landen: België”
Published by Cantecleer, 1989
“My very first book on Belgian designers, a true inspiration when I was a teen, with a beautiful silhouette by Ann Demeulemeester on its cover.”
“Margiela, the Hermès Years”
Published by Lannoo, 2018
“Martin Margiela at Hermès is my forever fashion reference.”
“Men in the Cities” by Robert Longo
Published by Schirmer/Mosel, 2009
“Obviously not a fashion book in the strict sense of the word, but what a fashion inspiration!”
“Comme des Garçons”
Published by Chikuma Shobo Co. Ltd., 1986
“A rare edition found on a trip to Japan — cult!”
“Studio” by Paolo Roversi
Collector’s Edition N°11/17 published by Steidl Dangin, 2008
“An absolute dream book with one of my favorite images of all time: Guinevere Van Seenus smoking, wearing a suit.”
