Once Hollywood Actor Turned Remote Fashion Icon: Nicholas Cage Fronts Casablancas AW22 Campaign
What once started as a simple purchase at a Casablanca pop-up store in Los Angeles, spearheaded cult movie actor Nicholas Cages’ initiation into the fashion world.
Mirroring the ideology of the Casablanca brand, creative director Charaf Tajer invited the emblematic cult movie sensation Nicholas Cage to showcase as the newest face of Casablanca’s AW22 Campaign alongside Alton Mason and Anok Yai. Inspired by the early paintings of American artist Eric Fischl, the trio was shot through the lens of renowned Parisian photographer Hugo Comte, whose imagery speaks explicitly to the American pursuit of dreams in a hedonistic, satirical manner. Through this undergoing, an authentic photographic story becomes apparent, distilling the brand’s essence into a pop culture moment.
“We revisited the Hollywood heritage with our own life stories, mixing opulence and romance to create timeless images out of the fashion scope, with a universal vocabulary of pop culture.” – Hugo Comte, Photographer.
With creative director Charaf Tajer keen on finding someone who could embrace his artistic values and someone universally iconic, Nicolas Cage was a natural fit. After Cage’s recent purchase of a Casablanca shirt at the Maxfield LA pop-up store, he developed a genuine love and appreciation for the label. A quality that is imperative when casting talent for Casablanca. It has to be authentic.
“Los Angeles is an important city for me, and I wanted to create a Hollywood moment between models I love, like Alton [Mason], who is a dear friend of mine, and Anok [Yai], who I truly love and think is one of the most beautiful women in the world. Then there’s the icon that is Nicolas Cage. Hugo and I are also good friends, and we’ve wanted to work together for a long time, so this felt like the perfect time and place to do it.” – Charaf Tajer, Creative Director.
Following the label’s Spring Summer 2023 “Futuro Optimisto” collection, which was deciphered through 3 vignettes; Vaqueros, Phantastica, Nature, and Architecture, this AW22 Campaign draws from its three main pillars of Architecture, Nature, and Travel. Tajer’s prominent iconography and inimitable artistic identity will be conveyed through the distinctive use of color and composition, emulating Casablanca’s core foundation.