Charaf Tajer, the visionary founder and creative director of Casablanca, takes an unexpected detour through Los Angeles for his Spring Summer 2025 collection. Drawing from the city’s underground countercultures and layered histories, the collection serves as an homage to a different side of LA, one that defies the sunny, glamorous stereotype often associated with the City of Angels. Tajer celebrates a grittier, more complex LA—a city marked by contradictions, yet brimming with vibrant cultures and personal expressions.
SPRING SUMMER 2025
At the heart of the collection lies a deep reverence for Mexican-American Lowrider culture. Tajer uses this uniquely LA tradition as his creative springboard, drawing parallels between his own Moroccan-French upbringing and the lived experiences of the Mexican-American community. Lowriders, known for their elaborately painted and meticulously customized designs, become a symbol of artistic pride, personal identity, and cultural resilience. The collection mirrors the geometric and natural motifs often found on Lowrider cars—roses, airbrushed gradients, and vibrant colors make their way onto Casablanca’s finely tailored suits and embellished dresses, connecting fashion with street-level artistry.
Tajer’s exploration doesn’t stop there. The collection traverses LA’s diverse subcultures, merging the Mexican-American Lowrider scene with the surf and skate culture of Venice Beach. The result is a synthesis of styles that reflect both freedom of expression and the artistry of handmade garments. Crochet, knits, and embroideries lend a tactile, personal feel to the collection, while fitted silhouettes and ombré hues nod to the skateboards and surfboards that are emblematic of California’s counterculture. This blending of seemingly disparate influences speaks to the interconnectedness of LA’s many worlds, unified under the same sprawling sky.
In a nod to iconic LA figures, Tajer draws inspiration from two seemingly contrasting muses: Pat Riley, the sharply dressed 1980s coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Bootsy Collins, the psychedelic funk legend known for his flamboyant, expressive style. Riley’s polished, power-tailored looks fuse with the Pachuca culture of Mexican-American youth, blending sharp suiting with Casablanca’s signature boldness. On the other hand, Bootsy Collins’ psychedelic flair infuses the collection with vibrant, hallucinogenic prints and explosive graphics, creating a visual tapestry that is unmistakably Casablanca—where “more is more.”
Beyond its street-level influences, the collection steps into the spotlight with a newfound focus on women’s evening wear. Metallic knits, printed metal-mesh fabrics, and sinuous silhouettes bring an elevated sense of elegance to the collection. These pieces, much like the city of Los Angeles itself, demand attention. They reflect a love of performance and showmanship, echoing Hollywood’s enduring influence on fashion and culture.
Charaf Tajer’s vision of LA is not just a literal interpretation of the city but a reimagining, transposing its raw energy and cultural dynamism into the heart of Paris. The Spring Summer 2025 collection is an exploration of a city in constant flux—a celebration of its contradictions, its beauty in darkness, and its endless capacity for reinvention. Through Casablanca’s lens, Los Angeles is alive, electric, and deeply personal.
