Eli Russell Linnetz’s talents are vast. The Californian multi-hyphenate has built stages for Lady Gaga and shot covers for lauded publications globally. But it’s with his label ERL, founded in 2020, that Linnetz began to make serious waves (not just of the Californian kind) across the industry. A sartorial study of Americana, both of yesteryear and tomorrow, he underscores his collections with a celebration of the everyday, be it jock-inspired long johns and varsity tops, or nostalgic knits, grass-stained denim or stars and stripes suiting.
For the first time, he brought his own, distinct take on the American Dream to an international stage. As this season’s guest designer at Pitti Uomo, he staged his first standalone catwalk show in the courtyard of Palazzo Corsini, constructing a tennis green box that dripped in UV lights, which felt a bit like being inside a giant sun bed. Set in the year 2176, the collection saw Linnetz devise a plot around Florence being sunk underwater, with California skaters flocking to the city to chase the waves. Once arriving, they raided a lavish Ambassador’s closet during a swanky evening ‘do they crashed, nicking a load of family heirlooms, antiques. souvenirs and opulent togs. With a strong focus on louche tailoring, sun-kissed models charged to “Boys of Summer” clad in swollen suits with exaggerated clown collars, shiny, armour-inspired jackets and sparkly wide-cut trousers that borrowed their shape from the brand’s collaborative collection with Dior Men last year. A glitter-laden toga get-up inspired by the Statue of Liberty summed up the collection with a wink and a nudge – all proving cleverly ironic and thoroughly entertaining.
Photography courtesy of ERL.
