ERL

 

ERL is a domain of its own. It’s the projection of ideas and feelings that bring joy to Eli and his small team based out of Venice, California. In many ways, it’s a projection of Venice itself. To quote the eponymous label’s Eli Russell Linnetz, it’s the embodiment of “less rules, more chaos.” Once a photographer, director and production designer, Linnetz minted his namesake in 2018 with the support of Comme des Garçons’ Adrian Joffe, using the opportunity to immerse himself in the project while remaining in its background. Exploring the evolution of menswear, refracted through a prism of false conceptions and a fallible masculinity, the brand strikes an honest chord by parsing through the disingenuous. With complete creative sovereignty and the exacting production standards that come from the Dover Street Market umbrella, ERL explores cultural and emotional landscapes with indulgence, specificity and a jarring sense of humor.