Words by Axel Metz
Amidst the global streetwear resurgence, Casablanca combines luxury tailoring and vintage sportswear aesthetics to keep you looking sharp on and off the court.
If 2020 has been anything if not the year of coronavirus, TikTok and Donald Trump, it’s also been the year of streetwear. On runways and sidewalks alike, celebrities and common folk have embraced the stylish comforts of athleisure in measures not seen since the Nineties, casting aside the turtleneck sweaters and trench coats of 2019 and instead opting for simpler, sportier looks offered by brands such as Champion, Off-White and Palace.
In many ways, today’s fashion is as accessible as it has ever been. A silver chain, navy sweatshirt and pair of white trainers will see you look right at home on the streets of Shoreditch or Soho – it’s effective, casual style without breaking the bank. What, then, are the luxury fashion houses to do?
Enter Casablanca. Bursting onto the sartorial scene a few seasons ago, Charaf Tajer’s Parisian label has grasped 2020’s biggest trend with both hands, merging luxury materials with athletic aesthetics (get it?) to establish tennis-wear as the coolest sportswear on the block. Sports shorts, but made of silk. Sweatshirts, but embroidered with the finest threads. Tajer has identified the comforting versatility – and gentrified appeal – of classic tennis styling and combined it with the luxury trappings of haute couture; it’s Wimbledon meets Louis Vuitton.
In an interview with Esquire, Tajer explained his interest in pursuing tennis-wear over the more established styles of football, baseball and basketball: “What I love about it is that it combines streetwear with a certain elegance. In Paris, during the late Nineties and early Noughties, we really developed this look. We would mix a Lacoste polo with a Hermès scarf and vintage Cartier glasses and Nike sneakers. We were North African kids connecting with French luxury. Tennis played a big part in that aesthetic and inspired my tastes in Casablanca as a brand.”
Being French, Tajer’s vision was not limited to sport styling. Casablanca’s wardrobe is also home to (eye-wateringly expensive, but nonetheless beautiful) silk shirts; Versace-esque pieces awash with floral prints and vibrant colours to turn even the most well-dressed heads. It’s clear where the influences lie, but Tajer has done well to carve out his brand’s niche while the high-fashion mainstays play catch-up. It won’t be long before Gucci, Dior, Saint Laurent and co. embrace the convergence of sportswear and luxury, but Casablanca is already ahead of the game.
Nothing, of course, is cheap, but that’s part of the appeal. If you want to look cool nowadays, a Depop-bought sweatshirt will do – Charaf Tajer and Casablanca have simply taken that idea and added a few zeros. But as Coco Chanel once said: “The best things in life are free. The second best are very expensive.”
Read our profile of fashion legend Kenzō Takada, founder of the Kenzo brand, here.