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FEATURE/DESIGNER Eli Russell Linnetz THE NAME OF the clothing brand ERL comes from the initials LINNETZ HAS CONSISTENTLY of its designer Eli Russell Linnetz, the multi-hyphenate creative SHOWN BOTH AN EYE FOR DETAIL director, filmmaker, photographer and now designer who AND A DEMANDING TYPE OF first launched the labelit in 2018. Linnetz, a personal friend PERFECTIONISM — HE SAYS HE of Adrian Joffe, the CEO of Comme des Garçons, initially TOOK YEARS TO FIND THE RIGHT introduced ERL at the opening of the Dover Street Market MODELS FOR THE CURRENT Los Angeles stores, with offerings that includeding hoodies LOOKBOOK, SOME OF WHOM BEAR and graphic tees created in collaboration with Jordan Wolfe A STRIKING RESEMBLANCE TO ‘90S and Nike. The collection sold out, and now, several seasons HEARTTHROB JOSH HARTNETT later, the label is still evolving and going strong. Its, with the new FW’21 collection featuresing metallic puffer jackets, psychedelic star prints and cosy knits (including a compelling knitted jester hat), all firmly rooted in Linnetz’s laidback Venice Beach aesthetic. To understand ERL, one must first comprehend the cultural and creative capital that Linnetz holds. It is indisputable that his many artistic creative pursuits, have culminated in the creation of ERL, and these includes his time spent designing for David Mamet’s theatre productions, a directorial role on Kanye West’s “Famous” and “Fade” music videos and a stint designing the set for Lady Gaga’s “Enigma” tour. It’s an impressive resume and one that lends a different spin and a certain kind of certain breath of creativity to ERL, and a cachet to the people who wear the label. Of course, many of those who do have more than enough cachet of their own — West and Justin Bieber are reportedly fans. Linnetz reportedly does not believe in celebrity gifting, which makes this feat even more impressive. 80

DESIGNER/FEATURE Linnetz has always wanted to do fashion, telling fashion label Ssense that he even sent a fake resume to Marc Jacobs as a teenager, complete with sketches and photos. It’s no doubt his can-do attitude to all his projects as well as his prolific multi-tasking — he sewed clothes, did opera and also trained in diving during his University of Southern California college years — paved the way his success. Linnetz has consistently showed both an his eye for detail and a demanding type of perfectionism — he says he took years to find the right models for the current lookbook, some of whom bear a striking resemblance to ‘90s heartthrob Josh Hartnett. — and a cool, unstudied viewpoint that references his native Venice Beach, but also elements of ’90s culture, And the fashion community is taking notice of this designer, not just because of his eye-catching and fun clothes, because also because of the way he that captures seminal American style moments without overthinking or over-designing. The latest collection is a nods to a mish-mash of themes, including space, prom night, sports teams and collegiate life — yet it all comes together under the ERL aesthetic. The clothing and accessories offerings for the unisex label have also expanded beyond tanks and T-shirts to include new silhouettes and fabrics. ERL has also collaborateding with Salomon, a winter sports maker, to create ski equipment for the FW’21 collection — keeping in line with ERL’s sports-influenced and Californian vibe. ERL FW'21 collection is available at Dover Street Market Singapore. 81

FEATURE/DESIGNER 82 images courtesy of ERL and DOVER STREET MARKET SINGAPORE

DESIGNER/FEATURE 83

FASHION The Legend Set to achieve another cinematic first at 59, the veteran Hong Kong actor makes his debut into Hollywood as the supervillain in Marvel’s first Asian superhero film, sliding into a bad guy role that’s multi-dimensional, and perhaps even sexy text CHELSEA TANG photography KARL LAM styling SEAN K. Cardigan, turtleneck sweater, pants and loafers, by RALPH LAUREN PURPLE LABEL



man like Tony Leung could go by many aliases. He’s easily the unsentimental Lin Wen Ching, A a deaf-mute portrait photographer with leftist leanings from 1989’s A City of Sadness, whose silent lucidity acts as a mirror to Taiwan’s “White Terror” period. Mention Happy Together from 1997, and the melancholic Lai Yiu Fai’s struggle for survival in a foreign country, and through a toxic relationship comes to mind. The reticent and forlorn journalist Chow Mo Wan from 2000’s In The Mood For Love needs no introduction — Leung’s sublime laconic performance alongside Maggie Cheung in the Wong Kar Wai masterpiece, where he’s caught in an elliptical romance that yields only quiet loss and tender longing, made him the first Hong Kong actor to win the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival the same year. Of course, it’s only proper of a born-and-bred Hong Kong actor to be Wenwu, being drawn into the clandestine Ten Rings Organisation that part of a classic Hong Kong cop thriller, so let’s make sure the conflicted Wenwu helms. Shang-Chi is forced to face a past he’s tried to put behind double-life act of Chen Wing Yan, a police officer undercover in a triad, him for the past 10 years, and ends up being roped into a complicated in 2002’s award-winning Infernal Affairs (and its sequels) is not forgotten. father-son conflict. The film was so filled with nervy, evocative perfection — complete with an There is little to go off on Leung’s role as Wenwu. It’s an all-new iconic rooftop showdown (with co-star Andy Lau) — that it got adapted character created for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the racially into an Oscar-winning Hollywood version called The Departed, in which offensive bits of the original character Fu Manchu from the comics sanded cinema legends Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon reprised Leung’s off. That means, what is actually known about Wenwu is confined within and Lau’s roles. True to a country that popularised martial arts-themed two trailers, narrated in Leung’s raspy, magnetic tenor voice. Yet, the movies, Leung also took on the title character of Ip Man in 2013’s The nuances in Marvel’s new supervillain subtly bubble to the surface — Grandmaster, where he added yet another layer of complexity to the Wenwu may be the bad guy, but unlike your typical one-dimensional already well-known character of the kung fu grandmaster. antagonist, he doesn’t scream evil, nor wear it on his sleeve. Had he not “These are [some of] my favourite characters,” he lets on, throwing been introduced as Wenwu with magical rings and an army of ninjas at 2046, and Lust, Caution into the mix. “It’s quite a lot, and they’re some of his command, he could’ve very well have been Jay Gatsby against a my better works that I’m pleased with.” backdrop of flappers and fireworks and no one would’ve been the wiser. Don’t be quick to get the veteran actor wrong though — the roles Leung’s controlled take on what makes a character — a mark of a true he doesn’t bring up (like those in the fan-favourite John Woo films Hard actor — fleshes out a classic good-versus-bad trope, and morphs a villain Boiled and Red Cliff) aren’t any less significant in his longstanding career. into something more multi-dimensional, and perhaps even attractive. And now, at 59, Leung is primed to achieve yet another cinematic The admiration for his genius intensifies with the knowledge that the milestone with a flashy new alias to boot: as antagonist Wenwu in celebrated actor was deliberately kept from background references, and Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the was only given the script a month before Ten Rings, which will hit theatres globally filming commenced. “When [Marvel] come first week of September. offered me the role, what they wanted was It’ll be his debut into Hollywood after WHY IS A SUNNY DAY for me to create a brand new Mandarin, so A GOOD DAY OR A RAINY I got to develop my character along with the close to four decades in showbiz — 39 filming,” he says. “I’ve never approached years, to be exact. The storyline has Shang- DAY A SAD ONE? IT’S ALL Wenwu from a villain’s standpoint. Rather, I Chi (played by Simu Liu), a skilled martial IN YOUR HEAD. IF tried to explore the reasons that led him to artist trained to be an assassin by his father become who he is. He’s a man with history, SNOWING IS ROMANTIC, WHY DO YOU NOT FEEL who craves to be loved. He is also human, and he has a family. As I read [the script], THE SAME ABOUT RAIN? I began to consider the many reasons why NOTHING STAYS he’d turn out the way he is — a sociopath, a narcissist, a bigot.” STAGNANT, AND THAT’S THE SAME FOR US AS This villainous role will be Leung’s first; he shares that he has been thinking of taking HUMAN BEINGS on one in the past two years, the antithesis of his usual Don Juan characters. Over the years, he’s had offers from around the world, but turned them down because of a lack of connection with the script or character. In his words, film-making is “a kind of destiny”, and Wenwu came loaded with an offer that was hard to refuse — adding to a legitimate representation of Asian cinema by starring in Marvel’s first Asian superhero movie. “When director Destin Daniel Cretton first

Leather shirt and sweater, by RALPH LAUREN PURPLE LABEL

Leather shirt and sweater, by RALPH LAUREN PURPLE LABEL

described the role to me, he said there are many layers to the antagonist role, and hoped that I could come on board,” Leung shares, noting that the partnership with Cretton checks the boxes for the right vibes (they spoke for an hour over a video conference call). “I accepted it because of the director. It just felt right. Plus, since this is something I’ve never done before, to play an Asian supervillain. A chance to do something for Asia. I thought, why not?” It isn’t too much of a stretch to find Leung caught up in his feels, for his character at hand, at least. Many would agree that his on-screen allure comes from his ability to draw upon expertly suppressed emotion; the kind that subconsciously tugs on heartstrings. Case in point: even a seemingly simple line in the Shang-Chi trailer “Be careful how you speak to me, boy” drips with menace, yet is laced with undertones of fatherly love. Such nuanced evocation can only come with years of experience, and it stems from Leung’s ability to shape fictional characters into people that everyday moviegoers can empathise with. “I feel, in order to The sentiment of a perfectionist rings loud and proud. It finds a convince someone, you must first be a believer yourself. And, to believe foothold in the unique thrill of satisfaction and pleasure that wells up in the role you play, you must come up with a backstory that is as detailed when one knows that a stellar performance has been delivered. The as possible,” he says. “What kind of food does he like? What is his kind of high that could only come with skill and experience, and pushes upbringing? What would he say when he visits someone at their home? even a decorated veteran actor like Leung to strive to do better every A person that’s just like you and I, who has preferences. You have to be single time. “Comparing my performance in A City of Sadness and The very precise.” Grandmaster, I definitely matured a lot in the latter,” he says. “It’s just The process is usually a long-drawn one, and Leung is not abashed like looking back at your very first performance and realising back then, to admit that. At least a month before filming starts, he’ll be pondering there’s no way you can deliver what you are capable of now. Growing upon and poring through his character 24/7. “I’d run through the script means having more and more fun as you gain more control [over your or my character 500 times in my head, adding on even more details,” skills] than before.” he shares. “Then suddenly, one day while on set, it’ll be ‘click’ and I’m Acting seems to be the only team affair that Leung accepts. He is a in character. This is not something you can predict or calculate, but just a man of solitude, and revels in being alone. “Only because I love acting habit of mine, I guess.” more,” he affirms, and it’s proving hard not to correlate his sorrowful, He bursts into merry laughter on the topic of fight scenes, which soulful persona with how much of a lone wolf he is in real life. Growing are aplenty in Shang-Chi. “When I spoke with Destin in the beginning, up, his outward personality dimmed when his father left the family when he said I didn’t need to fight because I have ‘the rings’!” he says. “If he was eight. Divorce wasn’t common in the ‘60s, especially not among I’d known earlier, I would’ve trained for it beforehand to handle the traditional Chinese families, and it was hard for a child then to easily physical demands of the role. It’s definitely my biggest challenge playing confide in such a taboo topic — which is why Leung isn’t much of a talker, Wenwu.” Such is his personal conviction that he practises: to “do” the even today. The sense of quietude, however, has become a part of him, scenes himself if he’s able to — like in The Grandmaster, where he spent one which clearly gives him peace. “Being alone makes me feel a lot four years learning and practising kung fu, even more at ease. Even in the sports I play,” he says. breaking his arm twice. “This is also a way to better “I don’t enjoy sports where people compete develop the role, as well as boost confidence. It helps for a placing, as well as team sports. So, if you me really get into character,” he adds. “I get really I FEEL, IN ORDER notice, I’m always doing the same few types of frustrated when I’m unable to do what is required TO CONVINCE sports like water-skiing, snow-skiing, mountain well, so I always try my best. I think it’s a ‘me’ thing.” SOMEONE, biking, sailing; things that I can do alone.” YOU MUST FIRST BE A BELIEVER The sense of excitement for acting brims again during the interview though, as he lets in a little on what’s in the pipelines for work: an English-speaking television series. “Perhaps YOURSELF because I started out with TV, and with the wonderful experience of working with Marvel this time, the idea for such a production seems interesting,” he says. If it all goes well, filming will commence sometime next year in Vancouver. “Think of all that room for creativity!” Leung adds, his face lighting up. It’s as they say, you can grow old but never grow up — and the child-like wonder for his passion is what keeps the actor feeling fulfilled in life. “You can enjoy every minute of your life only if you do not let anything tagged as ‘bad’ prevent you from actually experiencing it,” he says, the sentiment doubling up as a message for his 20-year-old self. “Why is a sunny day a good day or a rainy day a sad one? It’s all in your head. If snowing is romantic, why do you not feel the same about rain? Nothing stays stagnant, and that’s the same for us as human beings.”



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up for fun? In today’s world of virtual interactions where pictures speak louder than words and bedroom selfies are no longer de riguer, what does one do to make an impression? photography CJ TAN styling JUMIUS WONG Necklace, $1,850, by GUCCI. T-shirt, $245, by LUDOVIC DE SAINT SERNIN at MatchesFashion





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