The Internet can’t get enough of Erling Haaland. The 6-foot-5, 25-year-old man The Norwegian striker has amassed more than 11 million followers on Instagram since Sunday, when he scored two goals to secure Norway’s victory against Brazil in the World Cup. While many of his new followers are clearly there for the football, others may
The Internet can’t get enough of Erling Haaland.
The 6-foot-5, 25-year-old man The Norwegian striker has amassed more than 11 million followers on Instagram since Sunday, when he scored two goals to secure Norway’s victory against Brazil in the World Cup. While many of his new followers are clearly there for the football, others may well be there for the fashion and his quirky posts.
Haaland regularly posts her outfits on Instagram: $1,800 Loewe track jackets, black cashmere Chanel hats (which sell on resale websites for more than $1,200), and a steady stream of rare Hermès bags. And she has earned the attention of fashion editors for her style on and off the court, whether matching the hair bows in her blonde bun or being photographed at runway shows.
His star power is so great that Norway’s national soccer jerseys were sold out before Saturday’s England-Norway match, the Norwegian Football Association told the BBC, and are now being resold on websites like StockX for more than $400.
Brands are taking note.
“Their brand value is already increasing during the tournament and will likely accelerate even further after the World Cup,” Scott Kerr, founder of luxury consultancy Silvertone Consulting, told Business Insider.
Collaboration with sold out hair bows
Fashion brands are starting to reap the rewards of Haaland’s high visibility.
Kknekki, an Oslo-based hair tie brand that launched a limited-edition collection featuring Haaland to coincide with the World Cup, said the collection sold out within weeks of its launch.
Haaland had worn Kknekki hair scrunchies for several years before becoming an investor in the brand’s parent company, Bon Dep, in 2024. The size of her stake has not been disclosed.
“The collaboration was a natural extension of a relationship that has been developing for several years,” said a Bon Dep spokesperson. “The collection was intentionally produced as a very limited edition and has been in exceptional demand since its launch,” they added.
Bon Dep credits Haaland for boosting global awareness of the Kknekki brand.
When Kknekki posted a video of the Haaland collaboration on Instagram, the account gained 4,000 new followers in a single day, according to social media analytics website Social Blade.
While its core audience has traditionally been women and girls, Erling’s long-term use of scrunchies has played an important role in attracting male customers to the brand, the spokesperson said.
“It’s landing at a time when men’s fashion is becoming more comfortable with ‘traditionally feminine’ luxury objects, and it’s basically become a walking case study of that shift,” Blanca Zugaza Escribano, fashion and luxury strategy consultant at Metyis, told Business Insider.
Anja, a soccer fan from Germany, told Business Insider that she bought the Haaland brand scrunchies after seeing them on her Instagram.
“I like Haaland as a person and as a footballer since 2020,” said Anja. “I saw it on their Instagram channel and ordered it right away since I have long hair too and wanted to try it.”
An 8-pack of these limited-edition hair bows costs £21 ($30). They have begun to appear on resale websites, with some selling on AliExpress for $90, although it is unclear if they are genuine.
Haaland sometimes lets her hair down during matches, a look that has become a favorite among soccer fans online. Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
Exchange of sports bags for Birkins
Off the court, Haaland loves luxury, especially Hermès Haut à Courroies (HAC) travel bags.
He has been seen on numerous occasions with different versions of these bags in tow. This includes the black Multipocket HAC 50, which costs around $80,000 on luxury resale website Rebecca’s Closet, and the Evercalf Toile Cargo HAC 40, which costs around $75,000 on Vestiaire Collective.
He arrived on the Norwegian national team plane to Greensboro, North Carolina, for training camp at the start of the World Cup, wearing the rare Hermès HAC Birkin 50 “Endless Road”, which costs $45,000 at luxury resale store Madison Avenue Couture.
Haaland photographed with an Hermès HAC Birkin 50 “Endless Road” bag while getting off the plane for training camp in June. David Jensen/Getty Images
Searches for “Hermès HAC 50” were virtually non-existent in the US until June, when it became a top query on Google Search.
Kerr said Haaland’s appeal comes from the contrast between her ruthless competitiveness on the field and her playful, low-ego personality off it, a quality that aligns with Hermès.
“Hermès is known to lean toward playfulness and easygoing humor, even though the brand as a whole carries a very serious aura of craftsmanship and restraint,” Kerr said.
A spokesperson for Hermes declined to comment on whether Haaland has invested in or collaborated with the brand.
As for footwear, he often wears white Nike Air Force Ones and Jordans, as well as high-end shoes like the $1,125 Hermès Chypre black sandal.
He has also been seen with Louis Vuitton bags and Goyard suitcases.
“I think a number of brands can benefit from aligning themselves with Haaland. It all depends on which of her archetypes these brands want to lean on,” Kerr said.
“The explosive acting hero type? The goofy, meme-friendly buffoon type? The low-key, loyal Nordic type? Or the new, stylish masculine lux type? He’s mastered them all,” he added.