Check on your tennis-loving friends today: Venus Williams's grand return to the US Open has ended. Last night, the legend lost to Karolina Muchová after a two hour-long match. (Tears were definitely shed, at least in my apartment.) She finished strong in tennis whites custom-made for her by ERL.
The tennis tournament did all but roll out the red carpet for a pre-match Williams. She walked through fog machines, revealing her head-to-toe white attire. Stylist Ronald Burton III dressed Williams in a classic polo shirt layered underneath a white button-down. Her polo was tucked into another traditional tennis pick: a pleated mini skirt, embroidered with ERL's logo around the waistband.
Williams carried her red Wilson duffel as usual. But her other hand held an additional bag courtesy of ERL. The Venice Beach brand, known for their playful use of fur, covered a traditional racket-holding tote in yellow shearling. Knowing ERL, it was faux fur—similar to their outerwear. The bag also featured two leather straps: one top-handle and another crossbody, both monogrammed in bold script.
To no surprise, Williams re-wore her now-signature Lacoste sneakers for the third time this US Open. Once again, the $140 Tech Point Tennis Shoes looked good as new, complete with mesh uppers and rubber outsoles. Lacoste's crocodile emblem popped up on each side wall.
Back to ERL: the five-year-old, Californian label behind Williams's tennis whites. In 2020, Venice Beach native Eli Russel Linnetz launched ERL in the men's streetwear space, immediately catching Vogue's eye for his "techno silver trousers and kitschy tuxedos." By September 2021, Linnetz had teamed up with Hailey Bieber to debut his initial women's collection, starring equestrian prairie skirts, '80s-ish petticoats, and even sports jerseys.
Linnetz has only presented one official runway show—during the Men's Spring/Summer 2024 circuit. He prefers to photograph his designs in studio or around his hometown. Even so, his work doesn't go unnoticed. In 2025 alone, Billie Eilish, Gracie Abrams, Austin Butler, and most recently, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky have styled his cool, West Coast creations. This summer, Linnetz went viral for dressing the celebrity couple in the same Fall 2025 pantsuit just weeks apart.
First, Rihanna wore the oversize blazer and low-rise trousers on July 19, alongside an ERL polka-dot tie. Three weeks later, A$AP Rocky attended the L.A. premiere of his film, Highest 2 Lowest, in his girlfriend's suit set, plus a gray button-down and the same polka-dot necktie.
Following Williams's custom Khaite and Luar looks is no easy feat. But Linnetz's ERL certainly stepped up to the plate. (Wrong sport, I know.) Though Williams's 2025 US Open journey is over, maybe ERL piqued another player's interest on center court.
