ERL's "Wild Bunch" Collection Thrives in Chaos
Eli Russel Linnetz’s Venice Beach studio has unveiled a rowdy collection featuring the brand’s first-ever artist collaboration, centered on the work queer photographer Peter Berlin.
Summary
- ERL unveils its latest California-made collection, “The Wild Bunch,” featuring the brand’s first-ever artist collaboration with Peter Berlin.
ERL has unveiled “The Wild Bunch,” its latest collection, crafted at Eli Russell Linnetz‘s Venice Beach atelier. Deconstructed styling, tattered finishes, and leather-laden numbers illustrate the cinematic narrative of a rowdy gang in ERL’s Hollywood-rooted style.
The fictional “Dudley Dozens” are a notorious Venice Beach gang of “mercenary henchmen turned anarchists,” described by ERL as “handsome, charismatic, and completely unhinged.” Artisanal leather jackets have been ripped apart and sewn back together, a baby blue polo is torn up and stained with dirt, motorcycle tees, undershirts, and mesh tops are cropped and distressed. There are distinct references to queer subculture, evocative of the Tom of Finland’s erotic portraits of leather-adorned muscle men.
Unveiling its first-ever artist collaboration, the collection also presents pieces inspired by the work of seminal queer erotic photographer Peter Berlin, who happens to be one of Tom of Finland’s subjects. A charcoal muscle tank is collaged with vintage photography by the legendary image maker, centring on a large full-body shot of the artist posing in his underwear, like many of the models in the campaign.
Behind the playful theatrics, ERL emphasizes its commitment to artisanal and local producers. The collection introduces ERL’s locally-sourced California denim, dyed and sun-faded for a unique lived-in quality. Elsewhere, the hand-knit varsity cardigans have passed through the hands of local artisans, using wool spun in the US.
See the full campaign in the gallery above and stay tuned to Hypebeast for the latest fashion news.
