Artist Eli Russell Linnetz is the go-to photographer, director and stage designer for some of today’s biggest music stars — Kanye West, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber are just some of the names Linnetz have worked with in his career.

This year, Linnetz expanded his visual talents to the fashion world with new releases from his clothing line ERL. A long-time Venice Beach resident, the designer’s relaxed aesthetic is a nod to California’s cool and sunny attitudes. For FW20, ERL put its inventive spin on the modern slacker uniform. Checked boxers, loose joggers and colorful knits informed the lazy preppy vibe of the collective. However, the football shirt, jewel-embellished shorts and jockstrap gave the collection a sport-centric element. The athletic themes of ERL also continued on for its SS21 looks — football jerseys, long-johns, cropped tees and fraternity shirts played on vintage sports and college jock culture.

In April, Eli Russell Linnetz was HYPEBEAST Magazine’s feature story where he also shot the cover of the mag. Linnetz was interviewed by president of fashion label Comme des Garçons, Adriane Joffe. In the interview, Linnetz revealed that he started a clothing brand for the simple fact he just “wanted to do it.” “I live in Venice Beach, so I thought about that, my friends and what I wore growing up,” Linnetz continued on about creating a clothing label. "It was funny—right before I did this collection, I moved into a new space and got rid of all the clothes that I own, which is a bit silly. But I did that because I wanted to start thinking about what I need to fill myself with. If you have so much stuff in front of you, it’s hard to think about what you need or what you want.”