Joy has been a bit thin on the ground recently but Casablanca’s Spring 21 collection has it in buckets. Dreaming of a summer where road trips to the beach, surfing and frolicking in the sun are more than just a distant memory, the Parisian label’s founder, Charaf Tajer, transports us to Hawaii with his heady sunset tones and distinctly louche cuts. “A love letter to the world that is in much need of some light,” was the typically romantic message for the season from a brand named after the city in which Tajer’s parents met and fell in love.

For Spring 21 the French Moroccan designer – recently awarded the LVMH 2020 Prize - has crafted a lyrical collection that’s bathed in golden light. The label was founded in 2018 and its après-sport aesthetic has already become trademark. It was in evidence this season too, with relaxed silhouettes, drapey silk shirting and the instantly recognisable Casablanca tracksuits juxtaposed with double breasted suits, psychedelic hued denim and crisp cream tailoring. Mother of Pearl buttons and neatly knotted scarves nod to the sharp sophistication that’s implicit in the brand’s style.

Self-taught Tajer cut his teeth at streetwear label Pigalle, which he also co-founded, and has also worked with Off White and Supreme. He now describes his approach to fashion as "refined but relaxed”. There is something reminiscent of the roaring 1920s in this design philosophy, somehow recalling a time when men dressed for every occasion. His collections are set in that brief window when "the day's exertions are done, but the night has not yet begun” – arguably the time of day when you’re most free, and which therefore deserves its own elegant wardrobe, too.

Photography Yannis Meynadier
Video direction Thomas Lachambre

Published on 21/07/2020