Charaf Tajer‘s pre-Spring 2024 Casablanca Campaign makes a sophisticated play for a monied, athletic elegance and varsity chic-inspired cafe-society crowd.

This crowd commands the best-of-tennis experiences at the French Open. They have a special eye on the upcoming 100th-year anniversary, July 27 kickoff of tennis at the 2024 Summer Olympics Games at France’s Stade Roland Garros.

Hollywood Royalty Casablanca Mood

The romantic mood of the movie ‘Casablanca’ itself ebbs quietly through the campaign, signposts for a WWII cafe society crowd that embraced classic notions of honor, loyalty, friendship and duty in a 2024 global political climate that’s testing all those values — and turning them inside out.

Will we rise to meet the challenge? AOC is hopeful but also very dubious about our collective, deeply-fractured capacity. Especially among progressives and liberals, who would rather decimate each other than right-wingers, there’s no clarity on how this challenge will play out.

In the famous movie, Ilsa, played by Ingrid Bergman, sought help from Casablanca night-club owner and her old-flame Rick Blaine, played by Humphry Bogart, to get her French resistance leader, husband Victor Laszlo back into Allied territory. The Nazis were in hot pursuit of the couple, and a sad-eyed Rick complied with his love’s request for help.

A 21st Look at International Cafe Society

This entire Casablanca campaign resonates deeply today with a cast and campaign imagery that is not retro but 21st century modern. Having said that, the campaign’s DNA is indisputable.

Casablanca’s zigzag crotchet polos are paired with game-ready pleated skirts and Princess-Diana-worthy embossed pastel handbags.

Statement-making pearl and jewels necklaces wrap around model Maggie Maurer’s bare neck, reinforced with a bun hairdo that sends a clear message. Her posture is ram-rod straight, as she examines her surroundings with total clarity.

Count Maggie Maurer in as a member of the Resistance, joined by Valentin Caron. Corentin Leroux [IG] photographs the campaign, with art direction by Rashid Barbiker and styling by Francesca Parise./ Hair by Ryan Mitchell; makeup by David Koppelaar

French-Moroccan Charaf Tajer’s Casablanca is in go-mode these days. Stella McCartney veteran Frederick Lukoff joined the company as CEO, after a fresh round of fundraising in June, accompanied by a new business structure.

Separately, but also of note, Casablanca’s Spring 2024 collection was shown on the 63rd anniversary of Nigeria’s independence. Titled ‘Day of Victory’, the fashion show featured the son of Nigeria’s revered cultural icon Fela Kuti. Seun Kuti today leads the band his father founded.

Casablanca brand has huge potential and a massive tableau of storytelling, creative potential for this time and place in history. I love it. ~ Anne