-By Pratyasha Sarkar
Eli Russel Linnetz sparked excitement in the fashion world with a cheerful fashion show on Thursday night in Florence, merging Hollywood films, crazy surfers from California, science fiction, opera and the Renaissance. The eccentric designer, who is from Venice Beach in Los Angeles and was a special guest at Pitti Uomo, had everything she needed to tell a compelling tale and, in the process, reveal his label ERL’s Spring-Summer 2024 collection, which featured some chic and extremely cool looks that were both futuristic and couture, with a lunar sheen.
The tale? The year is 2176. The entire world is covered in water. Surfers from Venice Beach arrive in Florence, which is now renowned for its epic waves. They end themselves in a lavish Baroque palazzo, in this case the Palazzo Corsini on the banks of the Arno, where they come across a lavish clothes collection that has been forgotten. With a collection that is both elegant and glamorous in a mineral palette of very light or very dark greys with metallic and silver elements, our gorgeous surfers are turned into Renaissance Princes donning interstellar garb.
They left to the sounds of waves, strobe light flashes, a few electric guitar chords, and a 1970s rock soundtrack. Instead of a green screen, the background was more like a neon-yellow movie set. The models moved across the room with a casual Californian ease and even a rock star arrogance. They looked gorgeous in shimmering dark suits, iridescent taffeta and moiré silk ensembles, or herringbone-patterned, light-reflecting silk blends.
Gloves, top hats, pants with huge elephant feet and big pointed collared shirts are all coated with sequins, which seem like silver polka dots on a black background. Some people wore huge jackets with fringed epaulettes and other military-inspired features, pearl-trimmed formal clothes, and tuxedos with an exquisitely long back. Others adorned their trousers with chains encrusted with crystals. Even an old mediaeval shield was carried by one of the models. They also wore Tom Binns chokers as jewellery.
“Everything I do is real and natural. I have made an effort to draw parallels between my heritage and Florentine culture. Eli Russel Linnetz, who first gained notoriety in the music industry through collaborations with people like Kanye West and Lady Gaga, before being discovered by Rei Kawakubo and Adrian Joffe of Dover Street Market, explains backstage that he loves creating collages by combining items found at flea markets, second-hand items, and recycled clothing. The pair encouraged the young Californian to explore the fashion industry after working with him in November 2018 and encouraged him to take a risk by presenting the first collection of ready-to-wear brand ERL in their Parisian concept store in 2020.
There is no denying that his universe is influenced by Hollywood and the movie industry. Even the Statue of Liberty, complete with sequined toga and opaque plastic torch, is depicted in one of the cunning designer’s creations! He even went so far as to place a statue of America on the Fortezza da Basso’s main piazza, which is where Pitti Uomo is being held. The concluding scene of Franklin Schaffner’s 1968 film Planet of the Apes was reminiscent of the half-capsized statue lying on the gravel.
The sleeveless jacket with large lapels worn as a vest and closing at the side, the second-skin jumpsuits in silver lurex, the stone-encrusted leggings and the tight bodysuit, paired with baggy pants in a crumpled silver paper effect are just a few examples of the more casual looks in his collection for next summer. Not to mention the wonderful sweaters and cardigans crocheted with silky silver tinsel yarns.
