The definition of creative 2.0: Eli Russell Linnetz and his brand ERL Where the success of Dior's latest guest designer comes from
Until a few months ago, the name Eli Russell Linnetz could tell you everything or nothing. That's because Linnetz is one of those creatures who has long moved behind the scenes of show business and fashion, becoming over time the prototype of the creative 2.0 capable of mastering different disciplines, shaping cults and aesthetics, a trait that makes him similar to Justin Saunders of JJJJound, or more broadly to Virgil Abloh, in terms of the social reach of what he creates. Linnetz's work is the most illustrative representation of the coming together of different types of media and methods of communication, allowing for experimentation through new modes of production, distribution, and exchange. While his work was previously confined to a small niche of experts, in the last period ERL and his funder have found the pop success they have long deserved. Last year, A$AP Rocky had shown up at the Met Gala with a quilt-mantle created by the California designer, raising curiosity about his work enough to lead Guess USA to choose him for a collaboration in the wake of that between Gap and Yeezy. The "consecration," however, came only recently with a guest designer role in the new Dior collection, working together with Kim Jones to further elevate his idea of fashion.
ERL is characterised by a kind of loving nostalgia for those times, which is linked to a certain lightness of spirit and a constant irony, that makes the brand interesting and never pretentious. The shapes and silhouettes remain linear and essential so that the colours can steal the show, giving new interpretations to otherwise mundane items. Although the products appear so "simple", Linnetz's creative process is very particular, almost extreme. When he started working on the latest winter collection, the designer got rid of everything he had in his closet, except for a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. This essentiality acted as a stimulus from which to start creating, asking questions such as "What do I need?", "What colours can't I do without?".
ERL stands out as the latest artistic expression of a talented voice, that of Linnetz, difficult to classify within delimited fields and specific industries, opening instead to a vision of a fluid fashion, that embraces different disciplines, becoming the spokesperson of contemporary culture.
