Fans are buying celebrity-linked basics, from hair ties to cake
Haaland’s hair elastic and Swift’s dress show how affordable items can become fan tokens when celebrities use them publicly.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
3 min read
Fans are turning ordinary purchases into stand-ins for celebrity access, Fortune reported, as items tied to Erling Haaland, Taylor Swift and other stars sell out or draw new demand. The pattern matters for brands because low-cost goods can gain cultural value when a famous person is seen using them.
Haaland has paid partnerships with Nike, Beats and a Chinese herbal tea brand, according to Fortune. But the item that drew a separate wave of fan attention during the World Cup was the hair elastic he uses to hold back his long blond hair.
Fortune reported that viewers noticed the Norwegian soccer player wearing KKNEKKI hair ties in colors matching Norway’s uniforms: red with the home kit, black with the away kit and a red-white-blue version tied to the national colors. A limited-edition Haaland collection from KKNEKKI sold out, according to the company’s website and Fortune.
Hedda Engelhardt Davidsen, marketing director at KKNEKKI parent company Bon Dep, told Fortune the brand recorded a significant rise in website visits, retail inquiries and customer demand after Haaland wore the elastics in public. Bon Dep did not give Fortune specific sales or traffic figures.
Small items, bigger meaning
Marcus Collins, a University of Michigan marketing professor, told Fortune that products can take on added meaning when they are used by artists, athletes or other admired public figures. Collins has worked on campaigns including McDonald’s Travis Scott Meal and Budweiser’s Jay-Z campaigns, according to Fortune.
Fortune described the appeal as less about the object itself and more about the feeling of closeness it gives fans. The report pointed to items such as Haaland’s hair tie, Swift’s dress, Roger Federer’s shoes and Travis Scott’s McDonald’s order as examples of purchases that many fans can reach more easily than luxury goods.
Swift’s clothing offered another example, Fortune reported. After Swift appeared in engagement photos with Travis Kelce wearing a striped Polo Ralph Lauren dress, the item sold out across retailers, ABC7NY reported, and Fortune said it remained unavailable on Ralph Lauren’s website.
Collins told Fortune the dress gained meaning because Swift wore it, even though it had not been released as a special fan product. He said the same effect can extend to goods that are only loosely connected to a celebrity moment.
Bakeries join the fan economy
Padoca Bakery in New York City has sold Swift-themed desserts tied to major moments in the singer’s public life, manager Megan Sesil told Fortune. Sesil said the bakery did not cater Swift’s wedding but sold out of “Mini Taylor Wedding Cakes,” along with earlier Swift-themed cakes and cookies linked to her albums “The Tortured Poets Department” and “The Life of a Showgirl.”
Sesil also told Fortune that the bakery’s Super Bowl-themed “Just Here for Taylor” cakes sold out within the first hour, with customers lined up outside. She said fans used those moments to gather, celebrate, trade friendship bracelets and eat cake.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.