A $5 hair tie, a sold-out dress, cake and a fast-food order: How fans chase closeness to Erling Haaland, Taylor Swift and other celebrities

Brands paid Norwegian soccer star Erling Haaland to rep Nike cleats, Beats headphones and an iconic Chinese herbal tea. But it was his favorite hair tie pinning his long blond hair into his signature man bun that stirred a different kind of consumer frenzy: fans reaching for a functional, affordable item that felt like a direct link to the star himself.

World Cup watchers first noticed Haaland matched his Norwegian-made KKNEKKI elastics to the colors of Norway’s national kits – red with the team’s home look, black with the away shirt, and a red-white-blue KKNEKKI bundle for fans who want to wear the national colors. Haaland’s limited edition collection sold out.

KKNEKKI parent company Bon Dep’s marketing director Hedda Engelhardt Davidsen told Fortune that the company saw a “significant increase” in web traffic, retailer........

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