Cult California Brand ERL Creates Its Own Post-Surfing Shearling Boot for Fall

ERL is expanding its category once again with the launch of a new boot.

Called the Vamp Boots, the new shoe by the Venice Beach, Calif.-based cult fashion brand is a sculptural boot silhouette that harkens back to its sneaker of the same name. Engineered with innovative construction techniques, each curve of the shoe flows in plush cowhide suede, rising just above the ankle in a continuous fluid form.

Inside the boot, California shearling creates an enveloping sense of warmth, while a semi-transparent gum sole reveals the ERL logo underneath the shoe.

Created by ERL founder and designer Eli Russell Linnetz, this latest footwear style reflects his approach to product design – merging comfort, technical innovation and boundary-pushing aesthetics into a single form.

Details of the release also spill over into the shoe’s packaging, which is produced from the same corrugated material used by the U.S. Postal Service. The boxes are transparent enough to reveal the ERL newsprint wrapping inside, with archival prints from local 1970s Venice Beach underground newspapers.

Available exclusively at Erl.store from Oct. 23, the new Vamp Boots come in two colorways, Pirate Black and Natural, in men’s sizes 8-13. The style retails for $585.

This release follows the success of ERL’s Vamp shoe and continues the brand’s momentum in footwear.

“I’m obsessed with making shoes, and footwear has become a big focus for me. It’s been really cool to get into the rhythm of making new shapes and models,” Linnetz told FN in an interview in July. “We are just continually working on building up our shoe offering.”

In July, the designer released his take on the flip-flop. For the launch, the debut ERL flip-flop came in three distinct styles — Low, Big and Huge. True to ERL’s playful approach to proportion, each style offers a bold and expressive take on a classic silhouette, literally taking California style to new heights.