AW24

Venus as a Boy

Our idea of time as a linear composition obliges us to believe that we live in uninterrupted progression – that what we know now more than we did before, and that the promise of the future holds more keys to understanding our nature, and our world, than the past. Whilst that maintains an ongoing spirit of discovery, sometimes it breeds a resistance to past ideas, and what, perhaps, is of vital necessity, is to now find an interplay between the past and the present. In Casablanca’s new collection, we turn our eye towards ancient Greece.

This collection, Venus as a Boy, is about reimagination. We take our name for the collection from the Bjork song of the same title, which in of itself points towards a reimagination of the idea of Venus, where Venus herself was a Roman reimagination of Aphrodite. Venus as a Boy, whilst becoming a significant metaphor for the essence of this collection, also holds a strong relationship to Charaf Tajer, founder and creative director, a song in which the music – a symphonically unique arrangement of classical strings of an almost Arabic influence, combined with a drum-pattern of a distinguished nineties rhythm, and the lyrics, which deeply with resonate with Tajer.

We are eager to showcase two collaborations that are introduced in this collection. One, proudly with renowned artist Jeff Hamilton, a designer whose embroidered leather jackets are a staple of sports and fashion pop culture iconography. For Casablanca, we’ve joined together to produce two jackets, one employing hotfix embroidery and a fusion with crystals, and the other a reimagination of his iconic patchwork leather jackets, both decorated with seasonal artworks, a characteristic of the dynamism we’ve pushed to explore this collection. Two, our collaboration with the iconic sandal brand, Ancient Greek Sandals. Renowned for its local craftsmanship and innovative approach to design, together we have re-imagined some of their most loved silhouettes, integrating embroidered laurels and shearing details across a number of styles.

The men’s line offers tailored suits and blazers with ancient Greek-inspired draping, including a black satin wrap-tailored tuxedo and an embroidered evening suit. Women’s wear includes wrap and double-breasted suits featuring new logo buttons and one-sleeve dresses crafted from cutting-edge fabrics like crepe jersey. The collection incorporates various textures, from structured materials to stretchy fabrics, with highlights including packable coats and varsity jackets for men, and blanket coats and wrap-skirts for women, which are just some of the spotlights of our new collection that embraced ancient Greece as a ground for reimagination.

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