History in the Making: A Closer Look at Casatlantic
A word of advice: The next time you feel like adding to your wardrobe with a piece that caters to the biggest movement in menswear these days — wide-leg pants, linens, and knit polos ripped straight from The Talented Mr. Ripley’s wardrobe department — eschew fast fashion and go straight to the source. The pieces that menswear has centred itself around of late may not originate with Casatlantic, a young brand that was founded in Sweden by Nathaniel Asseraf in July of 2020. But they approach the dominant moment in menswear with a deliberate eye and a history in the space.
Casatlantic takes its inspiration from Asseraf’s grandfather, who grew up in Morocco during WW2. The elder Asseraf would often regale his grandson with stories of American GIs passing their uniforms to his mother for alterations or repairs. Obsessed with the way the soldiers dressed, he liked to nab a pair of trousers or a shirt here and there for him and his friends to dress up in on their own. He’s carried that love for dressing himself into his senior years, still hemming his own trousers at the age of 92 and pairing stylish bowling shirts with Chuck Taylors.
The younger Asseraf has brought everything his grandfather taught him about WW2 and postwar fashion in North Africa and Europe into his work at Casatlantic. The brand deals primarily in trousers, which are currently available in four cuts; the Tanger, their widest fit, is especially popular on menswear TikTok these days, and is inspired by the uniforms of French soldiers in postwar North Africa. Right now, they’re made in two different blends — linen for warm weather and a thicker cotton more appropriate for fall — and are produced seasonally with no restocks to avoid waste (because with Casatlantic, intentionality is not limited to design).
When it branches out beyond trousers, the Casatlantic approach is similarly thoughtful. This summer, it released the now-sold-out Anfa knit polo — among the best the season saw — and its first pair of sunglasses, each colour limited to a highly exclusive 50 pieces. The level of curation means everything Casatlantic produces feels of a piece with the rest of the line. It also maintains the feeling of a family business. To date, Asseraf’s crew is still small, with less than half a dozen manning the ship alongside him.
Trends come and go, and, in a few years, the trendier side of menswear will likely have moved on to new styles, new moments. Suffice to say, when that time comes, Casatlantic will still be here doing what it does best: drawing from the Asseraf family’s past to create the perfect clothes for the present.
