October 1 is Nigeria’s Independence Day and for Charaf Tajer, it made showing Casablanca’s spring collection on Sunday particularly exciting and celebratory.
“The world of clothes is very important to West Africa, so I wanted to pay homage the best way possible,” said the designer afterward.
Tailoring felt like a good starting point for this vibrant and color-filled coed lineup. It’s the brand’s strong suit and is deeply rooted in Nigeria and its capital Lagos, a vibrant nexus of music, art and fashion that he enjoys exploring.
Keeping formality at bay was a sense of youthfulness, because “Africa is so young,” said Tajer, who wanted to represent every type of character he met in a country that “has been leading the way for 60 years.”
In this expansive spring lineup with a ’70s vibe, there was something for everyone, from the techno-girl in a futuristic cocktail-hued bodysuit to the bourgeois youth in their tailored tennis whites and the motorcycle heads in the colorful leathers, helmets in hand.
Those hankering for a suit will be particularly well served, with a color-blocked blazer paired with pedal pushers and the double-breasted look overlaid with organza among the standouts.
Knits were aplenty with long cardigan dresses, chic polo shirts and sultry tank tops. The region’s rich crafts heritage was alluded to in beaded crochet shorts and tops, but also as appliqués and embroideries used to accent hemlines on denim separates.
Colors were bright but tempered by black or white, and their graphic placement made for flattering contouring. Thrown into the mix were also printed shirts, always a hit for the brand, depicting the Nigerian capital’s famously mad traffic scene (although Paris is inching closer by the day).
“We tend to represent everything we love,” he said. And there was a lot to love — in Lagos and here, too.
