ERL is More Grown-Up – and Puffed Up – For Fall 2025
Eli Russell Linnetz, who lives and works in Venice Beach, Calif., nearly lost his fall 2025 collection and entire archive to one of the fires that engulfed Los Angeles.
Alerted by his sister to the nearby blaze, “I grabbed my Dior archive, and then I grabbed a small selection of the collection to photograph.”
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Turns out, the designer had tripled the size of his ERL collection for fall 2025, and he rescued the dressier, “more mature” portion hinged on loose tailoring in nylon-blend fabrics, neat polo shirts, and puffy takes on trench coats, blousons and messenger bags.
Luckily, the fire missed his fashion stash, but the crisis re-affirmed his mission of “establishing this new kind of luxury American male…. I just want to say something serious.”
There’s an off-hand cool to his version of suiting, and to the casual sportswear that’s the backbone of his ERL label. He reimagined colorful striped Gap sweaters of yore in cashmere and mohair, knit polos in fluffy pink, and preppy argyle vests in trippy DayGlo colors.
“Everything hanging looks deceivingly simple, but then when you put it on, it’s such a vibe,” he said, shrugging on the puffy camel trench to demonstrate.
Still, his brand is still rooted in SoCal surf-and-skate culture, and he said he’s already sold more than 20,000 units of his puffed-up Vamp sneakers, available for fall 2025 in a high top version that looks particularly bee stung.
“It’s so crazy to have your first shoe go viral,” he said. “Literally, I might need to open a shoe store.”
Launch Gallery: ERL Fall 2025 Ready-to-Wear Collection
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