~MEET ERL / ELI RUSSELL LINNETZ . . . with VOGUE UP-DATE
meet: ERL / ELI RUSSELL LINNETZ . . .
the multi-talented designer/producer,
behind the ZAK FOSTER produced ASAP Rocky – MET GALA QUILT / CAPE !!
he is most def a creative powerhouse.
and, he seems to love – old school quilts !!
ELI RUSSELL lINNETZ, founder of ERL . .
image via ERL / c/o COMPLEX MAG
CHECK OUT: ‘Meet ERL, the New Brand You Should Know’ – by KARIZZA SANCHEZ / COMPLEX MAGAZINE / JAN 24, 2020
ERL – MEN’S FASHION / image via ERL STORE
apart from his dynamic interest in everything chic / ahead of the curve & esp authentic Americana / hand-made / and vintage embellishment . . it’s obviously his sunny, easy-going pastel ‘California’ palette / that sealed the deal / towards his . . . wrapping that soft-hued, Zak Foster found, DIY / vintage 70’s, ‘puff’ quilt – around ASAP Rocky / at the MET GALA /
and the rest – is History. history – with a capital H.
the softness of the overall loose grid pattern / as opposed to a rigid repeating grid, (think Burberry or Vuitton) also fit right in – with the ERL vision.
ASAP Rocky – in an ERL / ZAK FOSTER VINTAGE QUILT / as a cape at the MET GALA 2021.
image via Instagram @diet_prada
but, was it truly – a collaboration ?
yes, it was !!
and, a most excellent partnering – at that.
while ZAK FOSTER produced the (double-sided) finished aggregate / contemporary quilt,
and, I’m thinking based on the photos Zak posted to his IG / @zakfoster.quilts, that, or at least initially . . . the more detailed & complex red plaid / ‘crazy’ quilt, which he had he hand-stitched so meticulously, . . that that red side was probably his primary side / A side. with the found ‘puff’ quilt being the lining & the back.
ELI / ERL . . . is probably the one who jumped – to cloak ASAP Rocky with the plush, multi-color pastel, vintage 3-D ‘Puff’ quilt side / as the primary side. which was the absolute key decision, to propelling this unconventional, but ironically old school 70’s design – to the top of the Met Gala – pack.
though btw, as ASAP Rocky dropped the quilt from his shoulders, to reveal the sharp black ERL suit beneath / the red plaid side – was stunning as pat of the hidden reveal / on that.
ERL . . also probably provided the funding, of course, made sure the work was seen on an amazingly huge platform / and, not to forget / his imparting his ERL brand overall / very chic fashion vision, and, thus inspired edit / and, the curation, as per the sentence above.
so, yes !!
was it a collab ? / yes, yes and more YES !!
an absolute brilliant meeting of creative minds – in a moment of rapt expression.
not forget – the sheet magic of them ole quilts / to be able to step up to the plate, even in 2021.
ERL & ZAK FOSTER – BRAVO !!
CHECK OUT: ERL – FASHION & STORE
NOTE: VOGUE MAG / UP-DATE / SEPT 16, 2021
it’s been . . . a bit of a complicated ‘quilt’ story – to follow. it doesn’t help that many of the first media reports didn’t have a clue re: re-cycled quilts, vintage quilts, contemporary aggregate quilts, repaired quilts, etc etc.
according to the article (link below) that VOGUE just circulated /
and from what I can make of it, the Vogue article / and, after listening to the videos posted on Zak’s Instagram, over & over / it seems:
Eli Russell Linnetz . . . found the multi-colored ‘Puff’ quilt in a thrift shop, though it isn’t specifically referred to as such, it’s only referred to as a ‘vintage’ quilt / not surprising, as on-the-spot . . . Eli wasn’t seeped in quilt history – but, as I already stated above, you could immediately see why he would be attracted to it,
and then . . .
he reached out to quilt-recycling artisan ZAK FOSTER & . . commissioned him to make a red plaid-based ‘memory’ contemporary / aggregate quilt . . using various red plaid vintage textiles, as well several personal clothing items & remnants of sentimental ‘Linnetz’ family value / also on that red plaid theme, and then he had Zak attach the ‘Puff’ vintage quilt – which seems to have been more or less intact – but, perhaps lacked a backing (?), to the red plaid quilt top.
the newly constructed, red plaid ‘memory’ quilt top, in effect became the inner secret ‘lining’ – of the newly worked . . . ‘quilt-as-a-cape’, with the older ‘Puff’ quilt – becoming the top layer, or the – outside.
at any, rate no matter how you cut it !!
magic happened, that’s for sure !!
for me, the key bit of magic – was in ELI RUSSELL LINNETZ finding that gorgeous ‘Puff’ quilt – in the first place /
you love quilts / they love you back – is all I can say.
their power – in how they were made, and the thoughts they were infused with / and then, how they move around, and come forward even, today / is beyond the simply . . . rational.
as the first sentence of this Vogue article states / through the combined efforts of ERL & ZAK FOSTER / hand-worked old quilts – barrelled their way back – to their rightful place, at the top (!!) – in the “Lexicon of American Fashion” . . . !!
“There were plenty of exciting looks on the MetGala’s red carpet, but none captured the spirit of ‘In America: A Lexicon of Fashion’ theme quite like ASAP Rocky’s custom ERL quilt. Since colonial times, the handcraft has been an integral part of the American experience, and quilts have served as historical documents, family keepsakes, and contemporary art.”
~Janelle Okwodu, Vogue