“I love menswear—but growing up in Paris, this feels like a step up into the big leagues.” So said Charaf Tajer before Casablanca’s debut appearance on the womenswear schedule this afternoon. This public-facing shift coincided with one in Casablanca’s C-suite: The able Stella McCartney veteran Frederick Lukoff recently came on board as CEO.
Shown on the 63rd anniversary of Nigeria’s independence from the British, this collection was titled Day of Victory and featured a son of the West African nation’s towering cultural icon Fela Kuti. Seun Kuti, who is also a gifted performer and leads the band his father founded, walked the show’s 33rd look. This was a to-the-navel neckline, boot-cut bodysuit that looked reminiscent of his dad’s coordinated stagewear, but Casablanca-fied via the addition of slightly tweaked All England Lawn Tennis Club colors. The rest of the now traditional Casablanca throwback tennis section was similarly hued.
Tajer and his team had spent time in Lagos seeking inspiration for this collection and were clearly energized by the dynamism, drive, and dash of Nigerian culture. The extensive moto section—which Tajer said was inspired by his admiration of Lagos’s speed demons—featured helmets and handsome leathers with raglan sleeves in the same dégradé rainbow hues as Casablanca’s signature organza dresses and tailoring. Fela’s album-cover artwork was incorporated into knits, and the house’s heart monogram was applied as an embriodered trim to denim and patent separates (it also featured on suiting).
Novelties included menswear shorts and a woman’s top in meshed wood beading. Naturally, there was a smattering of richly printed or decoratively stitched shirting for OG Casablanca collectors, and a broad accessory offering starred some covetable monogram grip bags. Dedicating a collection to the home of the Super Eagles was a supersmart move on Casablanca’s part, and this collection was proud, playful, and a pleasure to watch unfold. Tajer aced that big-league debut.
