Casablanca opens its first store in the United States, in Los Angeles

Five months after opening its first boutique on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris, the Casablanca brand and its founder and artistic director Charaf Tajer announced on Thursday the opening of their first boutique in the United States, at 469 North Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. 

Located at the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Rodeo Drive, the boutique pays tribute to Los Angeles, a city that has been a source of inspiration for Tajer.

“When I was younger, I’d go to LA and be quite obsessed by its many cultures: from skateboarding, cinema, music, the Chicano culture, the architecture and design movements”, said Tajer. “The city is a living paradox. It’s a sunny place by the sea, but it can also be tough and extreme. This utopia of America offset by its grittiness, the fast-paced business and the celebrity. This has many messages, but this raw mix of industry and subculture creates a unique harmony that makes the city. It’s the same philosophy we explore at Casablanca. We love juxtapositions that create something new, that’s our design ethos.” 

The new flagship store occupies a former bank located in a 20th-century building with soaring ceilings over 10 meters high. The impressive façade features a series of large arches.

Tajer and Steve Grimes, the brand’s artistic director, discovered the location about two years ago and transformed the building into a store that reflects Casablanca’s philosophy, preserving its monumental Greek-inspired architecture and reinterpreting it through a contemporary lens.

“LA is a cultural institution”, adds Grimes. “There is an alluring energy within the city, and having a store in such a prestigious location feels like we are now part of that cultural heritage. Since my first visit, driving down the freeway from LAX and experiencing the views firsthand had an almost nostalgic feel to it – the world has such exposure to the city through cinema, music and entertainment that we have a sense of emotional connection to it.”
 
Inside the store, a custom-designed audio system by Void makes music a central part of the Casablanca brand identity. In the center, a huge sculpted foot echoes movement and sport. A carmine red wall and antique and modern brushed metal furniture enrich the decor. Airy spaces alternate with more intimate areas punctuated by a few Greek columns.

“Each store we open is about creating something timeless yet modern, with its own personality, but in our Casablanca design language and our handwriting”, continues Tajer. “LA is a home for Casablanca: it’s a place for our community to enjoy our world. We wanted a place where DJs can come play and people can hang out and talk about art and design. Opening our second store here is a tribute to a place that has really shaped us.”
 
Long known in the Parisian nightlife scene – he was notably artistic director of the Pompon parties – the Moroccan-born Frenchman was also co-founder of the Pigalle label alongside designer Stéphane Ashpool. Twenty years of experience, parties, travel and networking led him to launch his own brand in 2018.

A gradual but serious success, which led the brand to show at Paris Fashion Week a year later. Its second show, which transformed the gardens of the Musée de Montmartre into the “Café de Casablanca”, attracted a huge turnout of celebrities and guests from New York and California.
 
In recent years, the brand has also forged numerous collaborations. In 2022, Tajer added his tropical graphic signature to a collection of Bulgari bags. In 2023, he teamed up with Caviar Kaspia for a capsule ready-to-wear collection and a limited-edition caviar tin. The brand has also collaborated with S.T. Dupont and Nordstrom, organized memorable parties during Art Basel Miami, and opened its Casablanca Tennis Club in Abu Dhabi last February.