BEHIND THE STITCH: ALANI
June 21, 2024
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There is something about clothes that look like they’ve already lived a life.
A faded graphic, a frayed hem, a hoodie bleached by years of California sun — these details can make a new garment feel more personal than something perfectly pristine. That sense of nostalgia sits at the heart of Eli Russell Linnetz’s latest ERL release, the ERL Sailing Collection, a sprawling summer lineup inspired by the designer’s Venice Beach surroundings.
Rather than presenting coastal fashion in its polished, resort-ready form, ERL leans into the imperfect side of the California lifestyle. Fabrics appear washed, colours look sun-bleached and edges are deliberately left raw, creating the feeling of pieces discovered rather than manufactured.
The result is a collection that feels unmistakably ERL: playful, nostalgic and deeply connected to the world Linnetz has built around Venice Beach.
The ERL Sailing Collection takes its cues directly from Venice Beach, where Linnetz has developed much of the visual language surrounding ERL.
The influence isn’t limited to obvious nautical references. Instead, the collection captures the broader feeling of spending a summer around the California coast — faded colours, relaxed proportions, worn-in fabrics and clothing that looks better the more casually it is worn.
That approach gives the collection an authenticity that goes beyond simply printing a beach graphic onto a T-shirt.
The most immediate characteristic of the collection is its treatment of colour.
Hand-dyed fabrics and washed finishes give many of the garments an intentionally weathered appearance. Green cutoff T-shirts arrive with rolled raw edges and faded sailing graphics, while other pieces use muted combinations of grey, purple, navy and off-white.
The imperfections are part of the appeal.
Raw hems, uneven-looking finishes and contrasting stitching make the garments feel as though they’ve already spent a summer under the California sun.
Among the collection’s more distinctive pieces are its patchwork button-up shirts.
Made from mismatched Japanese cotton shirting fabrics, each shirt combines different textures and patterns into a deliberately irregular composition. Ivory buttons provide a subtle contrast, while matching boxer shorts continue the patchwork idea with a more relaxed approach.
The combination of Japanese textiles and Venice Beach styling is particularly interesting. It gives ERL’s laid-back California aesthetic a more tactile and crafted dimension.
The brand’s signature hoodie language also returns for the season.
The ERL Classic Swirl Hoodie arrives in a washed grey and faded purple combination, with mismatched off-white topstitching reinforcing the collection’s imperfect character.
Elsewhere, deep purple and navy football hoodies bring another layer of nostalgia to the lineup. Grey “VENICE” appliqués appear across the chest, while “BE NICE 76” lettering lands across the back alongside contrasting sleeve stripes.
They’re the kind of pieces that sit comfortably between vintage sportswear and California street style.
Football-inspired details might seem removed from the collection’s sailing theme, but ERL has never treated its references too literally.
The football hoodies introduce athletic energy into an otherwise coastal wardrobe, while jersey piqué polos bring a more refined element through engineered rib collars.
That mix is what keeps the collection from becoming a straightforward summer capsule. Sailing references, vintage sportswear, workwear-inspired construction and California nostalgia all occupy the same wardrobe.
The collection ultimately works because its pieces don’t feel overly precious.
Alongside the graphic tees and hoodies are reverse-face twill cutoff button-downs, jersey polos and double-pleated chino shorts. The silhouettes remain relaxed and practical, allowing the more expressive treatments to stand out without making the clothing difficult to wear.
Even the details feel considered. The cutoff shirts feature frayed sleeves and ERL script chainstitching, while the chino shorts bring a cleaner counterpoint to the collection’s more distressed pieces.
It’s a wardrobe built around contrast: polished against worn, structured against relaxed, and Japanese craftsmanship against Californian nonchalance.
The ERL Sailing Collection released on July 24, 2026, exclusively through the official ERL webstore.
The collection launched at 8:30 a.m. EST, with the lineup spanning hand-dyed cutoff tees, patchwork shirting, hoodies, polos, football-inspired pieces and pleated chino shorts.
More than anything, the collection captures what makes ERL’s approach to California fashion so compelling. It doesn’t try to make Venice Beach look perfect. Instead, it embraces the faded colours, worn textures and slightly messy energy that make the place feel alive.
