ERL designer Eli Russell Linnetz has notched so many victories over the past couple years that it's actually quite hard to keep up: 2022 LVMH Prize runner-up, Dior Homme collaboration, headline-making custom clothes for A$AP Rocky and Kid Cudi, to name a few. Now, as Pitti Uomo guest designer, ERL has enjoyed a more personal kind of win.
Though it's managed by the powerful people at Dover Street Market and COMME des GARÇONS, ERL has never actually shown a new clothing line on the runway before — and its Dior partnership doesn't count! Previously, ERL showed its new wares at showrooms in Paris.
ERL finally took the catwalk with its Spring/Summer 2024 collection, complete with a vivid saga to set the mood.
"In the year 2176, the sea levels have risen. Florence is under water and California surfers have flocked to Italy, chasing waves," ERL explained in the press release that accompanied its Spring/Summer 2024 collection, "Make Believe."
"A group of young American surfers masquerading as rich kids sneak into a surreal ball... they go upstairs and raid the ambassador's closet, discovering opulent eveningwear, present-day 2176 pieces, antiques from Japan and the Roman empire."
That's a key difference between this go-round and past ERL's collections.
Previously, Linnetz sourced inspiration from the past, whereas ERL SS24 delivers garments designed for for the distant, climate-changed future. But you'd be forgiven for forgetting that this is future formalwear amidst ERL's characteristic colorful chaos.
Youth culture is king, as usual, celebrated by ERL's in-house super chunky skate sneaker — a project years in development — and the cheeky undermining of formality.
For instance, ERL's maxi-collared shirts have become kid-in-dad's-clothing jackets, glitzy wallet chains drape like leftover tinsel, and sequin tuxedos sag the drippy insouciance of a kid who just jumped in the pool while wearing their prom suit.
Meanwhile, the surfer folks of Linnetz' beloved Venice Beach are referenced in ERL's goggle-like debut sunglasses, rendered in thick rubber, and form-fitting wet suits that extend from neck to fingertip.
Someone walked as the Statue of Liberty, even.
Also, though ERL's clothing has always been quite nice, SS24 represents an elevation of quality. "Each [SS24] piece is handmade and artisanal," the press release promises. "Pieces are hand-beaded, embellished, and embroidered," occasionally by members of Los Angeles-based television and film prop departments.
Perhaps the best example of this approach is ERL's SS24 quilt, which brings in artist Oliver Herring to update the brand's signature creation as a translucent blanket made of hand-knit mylar tape.
Is it commercial? Hardly. Hell, most of it ain't. But money should never drive creativity, and that's the beauty of ERL's hyper-personal output: it's always been the Eli Russell Linnetz show, a tangible manifestation of his fleeting whims.
ERL's runway debut is merely Linnetz' opportunity to flesh out his California dreams further than ever before.
"I start from scratch every season. I don't think about sales or what people would want from me," Linnetz told Highsnobiety in 2021. "Just the fact that people wear ERL is exciting enough."
