Eli Russell Linnetz said he had a “thick filter” around him, which made his timely, specific inspection (subsequent removal) even more interesting.
The storyteller, Linnitz made a particularly relevant narrative for the season, a collage The talented Mr. Ripley and Salterburnplus Strange cases of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Linnetz said a kid named Ivy is the nod of the Ivy League, who is obsessed with a senior in his new elite boarding school. Christian is the king of campus, Ivy will give anything, or hequite. Linnetz’s story follows Ivy embedded in Christian’s inner circle, his admiration becomes sour and then poisonous – “Poison Ivy”, get it? (If you’ve seen any of the two movies above, you’ll get to it all.)
Liniz said he wanted to explore the hierarchy of taste in the context of “what preparatory means.” One undeniable aspect of this particular tradition of American clothing is that it has to do with race and class. There is a good taste and a hierarchy of ideas who owns it, but there is also a relationship with the preparatory style itself. Liniz’s reflections focus on power dynamics and, to some extent, how to prepare for the most powerful exercise in imitation.
This is a timely topic. Americanism became popular in the men’s clothing collection in spring 2026 last month, with both Jonathan Anderson and Michael Rider exploring various levels of disruptive preparatory courses when they debuted at Dior and Celine.
Linnetz’s approach is more about relaxing than validating preparatory codes – “careful relaxation” is the way he describes it. So, beautiful ombrés on a cut sweater vest and tailored to mimic the way the sun changes over time. Linnetz kept the suit unlined, and in some cases put them in Nylon, paying tribute to the roots of his label’s Wenice Beach root. Argyle sweaters, cotton boxer and grandpa style knits are all ERL and have a great fabric selected in a stylish color choice and intentional proportion update (the waist is tapered, tight on the biceps and over the chest, which is very annoying for muscle men).
Earlier, ERL often encountered with narrative-first projects, but clothing and its brands (materials, tailoring, etc.) took over time. “It’s more of an art project, and when I started, I didn’t know one thing about manufacturing or any aspect of the business; I was interested in clothing, I was creating my own bubble, and it had authenticity because I was creating for myself.” Now, there’s more “power and business” behind it, but ultimately fueled by Linnetz’s obsession. He said they sometimes align with the culture as a whole, and that’s what people see their curiosity reflected in his problems. That’s the preparatory situation; nowadays, whether in terms of face value or through entertainment mirror filters, American style is the most important.
