The Made in California collection will sit in harmony with his ERL main line, which is produced with Dover Street Market in Comme des Garçons factories around the world, and will launch exclusively on a new ERL e-shop. The pieces are more luxurious (and obviously more expensive) versions of the items ERL is known for, there are cheeky plaid boxers, sun-bleached tees, perfect worn-in flannels, and dyed sweatpants that Russell models during our call. “I usually never wear my clothes,” he says with a laugh, “but I think this new stuff that I’m making, it’s actually what I feel is the epitome of California style. I feel it’s what I’ve always been chasing.”
“It literally took two years to get the exact washes to capture something that felt lived-in, sun-faded, and worn, with just that perfect balance of color,” he continues, noting he tried coming up with new ways of dyeing to get the right look. “Literally, the T-shirts involve 40 steps. It looks like a basic red, but it took 40 steps to make it. Even in the simplicity, it feels insanely different, the fabrics.” And wait ’til you hear about the socks.
“The socks are my favorite thing,” he says. “They’re the most expensive thing almost on this site, but they’re so comfy.”
“How did you make expensive socks?”
“It’s this yarn from Japan, and when you hold them, you’re like, ‘OK, this makes sense,’” he smiles.
Photo: Courtesy of ERL
In a fashion world already high on its own supply of luxurious everyday wear, super riche basics might not seem novel, but what Linnetz has created with his hands in his studio is unique. It’s not basic by design standards—even if it looks like a pair of jeans or a “simple” tee it’s been perfected by a team of real artisans. Nor is it basic in its intention. Think about it like this: Linnetz is part of a generation the New York Times calls “peak millennials,” who dominate not only the culture, but the market at the moment. (Full disclosure: I am also a “peak millennial.”) For those of us raised on hunky smiling Abercrombie boys and free-spirited prairie dresses from Delia’s, ERL’s clothes are a beautiful and more lasting version of the staples we grew up loving. It’s a generation’s teenage dreams made real, the clothes I wish I had in 2004, made for me to wear and thrash until they are threadbare in 2024.