For Spring Summer 2025, Casablanca’s creative director Charaf Tajer takes a daring dive into the lesser-seen sides of Los Angeles, drawing inspiration from its underground countercultures, evolving identities, and complex history in popular culture.
SPRING SUMMER 2025
Far from the sun-soaked glamour of Hollywood, Tajer presents a darker, edgier LA—a city of contradictions and beauty found in its gritty urban core. This collection is a tribute to the people, places, and cultural nuances Tajer has encountered on his visits to the City of Angels.
At the heart of the collection is a love letter to the Mexican-American Lowrider culture, a movement Tajer connects with on a personal level. The ornate artistry of the Lowriders—each car an individual work of art adorned with vibrant colors, airbrushed gradients, and geometric patterns—becomes the foundation for Casablanca’s collection. This cultural celebration of craftsmanship and pride is mirrored in the clothing, with wide-shouldered tailoring, bold prints, and evening dresses alive with color and intricate details. The Lowrider’s influence is more than aesthetic; it’s a philosophy shared by Casablanca—one where personal expression and artistry reign supreme.
As the collection moves from the streets of East LA to the shores of Venice Beach, Tajer seamlessly merges Lowrider culture with the free-spirited surf and skate scenes that define SoCal. Crochet, knits, and embroidered details bring a handcrafted touch, while fitted silhouettes and sun-bleached ombré hues echo the surfboards and skate decks that glide across the Californian landscape. The fusion of these two distinct subcultures captures LA’s essence—a melting pot of creativity where boundaries blur and diversity thrives.
Tajer’s vision of LA isn’t just grounded in its street culture, though. He looks to two iconic figures for inspiration: Pat Riley, the stylish 1980s coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Bootsy Collins, the funk legend known for his flamboyant, psychedelic fashion. The crisp, tailored suits of Riley merge with the bold, larger-than-life aesthetic of Collins, creating a collection where sharp lines meet playful, vivid patterns. The result is a dynamic interplay of luxury and liberation, where opposites attract and coexist in harmony.
Sinuous metallic knits and printed metal-mesh fabrics exude elegance while remaining true to the brand’s love for bold statements. These pieces are made to shine on stage or screen, embodying LA’s love for performance and spotlight, where fashion becomes an extension of the city’s ever-present theatricality.
With Casablanca Spring Summer 2025, Charaf Tajer reimagines Los Angeles as a city of endless transformation. It’s not just a place but a mindset—where cultures collide, evolve, and reshape one another. Tajer’s tribute to LA is bold, unapologetic, and deeply reflective of the city’s rich, layered identity. Through his lens, Los Angeles is not simply seen but redefined, merging past, present, and future into one electrifying narrative.
