Biography
Eli Russell Linnetz is the designer behind ERL, a creative director and Ye and Lady Gaga collaborator. Since launching his brand in 2018, the multi-hyphenate has taken fashion by storm — most recently, teaming up with Kim Jones on Dior’s menswear resort collection in May 2022.
After starting to work assisting David Mamet on Broadway at 15, Los Angeles-based Linnetz met Ye on the set of Watch the Throne. Linnetz went on to direct Ye’s Fade and Famous music videos and design the floating stage and merchandise for his Saint Pablo tour. He designed Lady Gaga’s Enigma tour set, was a producer for Kid Cudi, Ye and Teyana Taylor, and has shot campaigns for Yeezy and SKIMS.
After working with Comme des Garçons in a graphic design capacity, Adrian Joffee, president of CDG and Dover Street Market , asked him to design a clothing line, initially made for the opening of Dover Street Market, ERL has turned into a force all its own. Championing a quirky California cool, the brand has launched shop-in-shops in Japan and near Beijing’s Forbidden City. In May, Kim Jones tapped Linnetz to serve as Dior’s first guest designer for the 2022 men’s resort collection. He photographed Jacob Elordi for the August cover of GQ.
After being named a 2022 LVMH Prize finalist, Linnetz won LVMH’s Karl Lagerfeld prize for ERL.