The internet can’t get enough of Erling Haaland.
The 6-foot-5, 25-year-old Norwegian striker has gained over 11 million followers on Instagram since Sunday, when he scored twice 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 his outfits on Instagram — $1,800 Loewe Tracksuit jackets, black Chanel cashmere beanies (selling on resale websites for over $1,200), and a constant flow of rare Hermès bags. And he’s gained the attention of fashion editors for his style on and off the pitch, whether that’s matching the hair ties on his blond man bun or being photographed at runway shows.
His star power is so great that Norway’s national football jerseys have sold out ahead of the England vs Norway match on Saturday, the Norwegian Football Association told the BBC, and are now being resold on websites like StockX for over $400.
Brands are taking note.
“His brand value is already spiking during the tournament and is very likely to accelerate further after the World Cup,” Scott Kerr, founder of luxury consultancy firm Silvertone Consulting, told Business Insider.
Sold-out hair tie collab
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 with Haaland to coincide with the World Cup, said the collection sold out within weeks of launch.
Haaland had worn Kknekki hair ties for several years before becoming an investor in the brand’s parent company, Bon Dep, in 2024. The size of his stake has not been disclosed.
“The collaboration was a natural extension of a relationship that has developed over several years,” a spokesperson for Bon Dep said. “The collection was intentionally produced as a highly limited edition and saw exceptional demand from launch,” they added.
Bon Dep credits Haaland with boosting global awareness for the Kknekki brand.
When Kknekki posted a reel of the Haaland collaboration on Instagram, the account gained 4,000 new followers in a single day, according to the social media analytics website Social Blade.
While its core audience has traditionally been women and girls, Erling’s long-standing use of hair ties has played a big role in attracting male customers to the brand, the spokesperson said.
“He’s landing in a moment where menswear is getting more comfortable with ‘traditionally feminine’ luxury objects, and he’s basically become a walking case study for that shift,” Blanca Zugaza Escribano, a fashion and luxury strategy consultant at Metyis, told Business Insider.
Anja, a soccer fan from Germany, told Business Insider that she bought the Haaland-branded hair ties after seeing them on his Instagram.
“I’ve liked Haaland as a person and as a footballer since 2020,” Anja said. “I’d seen it on his Instagram channel and ordered it straight away, as I have long hair too and wanted to give it a go.”
A pack of 8 of these limited-edition hair ties costs £21 ($30). They have started to pop up on resale websites, with some sold on AliExpress for $90, though it’s unclear whether these are genuine.
Swapping sports bags for Birkins
Off the pitch, Haaland has a love for luxury, especially the Hermès Haut à Courroies (HAC) travel bags.
He has been spotted on numerous occasions with different versions of these bags in tow. This includes the black Multipocket HAC 50, which costs about $80,000 on luxury resale website Wardrobe by Rebecca, and the Evercalf Toile Cargo HAC 40, which costs about $75,000 on Vestiaire Collective.
He arrived on the Norwegian national team jet to Greensboro, North Carolina, for training camp at the start of the World Cup, carrying the rare Hermès HAC Birkin 50 “Endless Road,” which costs $45,000 at the luxury resale store Madison Avenue Couture.
Searches for “Hermès HAC 50” were virtually zero in the US until June, when it became a breakout query on Google Search.
Kerr said Haaland’s appeal comes from the contrast between his ruthless competitiveness on the field and his playful, low-ego personality off it — a quality that aligns with Hermès.
“Hermès has been known to lean into playfulness and quiet humor, even though the overall brand carries a very serious aura of craftsmanship and restraint,” Kerr said.
A spokesperson for Hermes declined to comment on whether Haaland has invested or collaborated with the brand.
Shoe-wise, he often sports white Nike Air Force Ones and Jordans, as well as high-end shoes like the $1,125 black Hermès Chypre sandal.
He has also been spotted with Louis Vuitton bags and Goyard suitcases.
“I think a number of brands can benefit from aligning with Haaland. It all depends which of his archetypes these brands want to lean into,” Kerr said.
“The explosive performance hero type? The goofy, meme-friendly jester type? The Nordic understated loyal everyman type? Or the stylish new lux masculine type? He has mastered them all,” he added.
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