Charaf Tajer’s Casablanca Paris Is Getting Us Ready For Summer 2020
By Rachel Tooley | March 8, 2020Parisian menswear label Casablanca was first founded by Charaf Tajer, co-founder of Pigalle and associate of the founder of OFF-WHITE, Virgil Abloh. As Tajer pushes the boundaries in contemporary men’s fashion, he fuses together the aesthetic of sportswear and luxury to create refined, relaxed silhouettes which adhere to the top standards within modern design. The brand is youthful and easy to wear, often using an innovative mixture of white cotton or terrycloth materials with vivid brights and bold patterns.
Designed in Paris but made in Casablanca, the brand prides itself in applying Neapolitan tailoring techniques to traditional their adapted sportswear silhouettes. Tajer expresses his dual heritage between France and Morocco through the brand, to create sophisticated and elegant pieces which still feel comfortable and casual. Since the brand was first launched, celebrities like Skepta are now following the label for their versatile designs, whilst Casablanca also gains significant recognition from hit publications and online articles including Vogue, after being nominated for a LMVH Prize for Young Fashion Designers earlier this year.
Casablanca will be launching their new SS20 collection in just a few weeks’ time. The Casablanca Spring/Summer 2020 look book is out now, featuring an array of silk-printed two pieces and knitted bowling shirts. Setting the tone for a summer of relaxation and recuperation, the look book takes on an old school aesthetic, set in an exotic looking hotel, whilst models are photographed lounging in the pool, eating fruit whilst basking in the hot sun.
Classic tennis whites are a huge staple in the collection, which are complimented by bright colours and vivid prints. The range features a variety of silhouettes and garment styles created with premium materials. Two pieces seem to be a dominating feature within the collection, available in denim and silk, which have accents of warm orange hues, hot candy pinks and vibrant emerald greens. The silk shirt and shorts combination are sure to make a statement and any holiday resort, whilst the knitted shirts are perfect for layering up on a cool midsummer evening. Also featuring in the collection is a variety of sweatshirts, denim jackets, lightweight shirts, full-length trousers and jogger style pants.
Another highlight of the SS20 look book is the new collaboration between Casablanca and leading sportswear/footwear brand, New Balance. The New Balance ‘Casablanca 327’ takes inspiration from traditional tennis club aesthetics and luxury footwear. With the upper featuring a classic crisp white perforated leather which allows the foot to breathe during wear. With an emerald green suede overlay across the toe cap, mudguard and the heel, the signature ‘N’ motif is enlarged and placed on the lateral side of the shoe in a tumbled leather material, adding texture to finish the look. It’s a very rare occasion that the Boston based brand offers collaborators the opportunity to create a completely new silhouette, however Casablanca have the exception in this case. Each following the same design pattern, the shoes will be available in four colourways of White/Green, White/Orange, White/Off-White and White/Black. The Casablanca 327 sneaker hasn’t yet been announced to release, so unfortunately, we don’t know the drop date for these trainers just yet, although they’re expected to be due on sale in autumn later this year.
Â
The Spring/Summer 2020 collection from Casablanca will be released at various retailers in the next few weeks, however a specific drop date has not yet been announced. Keep an eye out for updates on the Casablanca Instagram page, or at retailers from our selected retailers list who stock the brand, to see where you can get your hands on these pieces.
Want more? Check out our top five hip-hop sneaker collaborations here or you can check out more of our latest blog articles by clicking here.