Erling Haaland, the Norwegian forward, is no stranger to the spotlight. Standing at six feet five inches tall, his shoulder-length blonde hair is a clear nod to his Viking heritage. As one of the top soccer players globally, he has also guided Norway’s men’s national team to its first FIFA World Cup in almost thirty years. Recently, stylist and TikTok influencer Jack Savoie highlighted another aspect of Haaland’s persona: his impressive collection of Hermès bags.
“Have you checked out Erling Haaland’s custom Birkins?” Savoie remarked in a video that gained tremendous popularity. “Get ready for this.”
“First off, I should clarify that not all of them are Birkins,” Savoie stated during a phone conversation. A significant portion of Haaland’s collection consists of Haut à Courroies (HAC) bags, which are the inspiration for the Birkin but feature a taller and slimmer design. However, this does not diminish the significance of Haaland’s collection.
In the viral video, which has garnered over 10 million views, Savoie elaborates on the soccer star’s collection. Among the standout pieces is the special edition “Endless Road” HAC that he was seen carrying upon arrival in North Carolina for the World Cup. This bone-colored bag features a unique patchwork of blue and gray leather, depicting a mountain highway scene. Additionally, there’s a moss-colored canvas HAC and a black-and-orange checkerboard HAC; he was even caught with his girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen’s Birkin 25 inside his HAC 50. “He was stacking Birkins, it was incredibly stylish,” Savoie noted.
Haaland isn’t alone in his affinity for Hermès bags among soccer players: the renowned Argentinian Lionel Messi owns a cargo HAC 40 adorned with pockets, and Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk has a putty gray leather variant. David Beckham also appears to have a small selection of larger bags.
Various luxurious bags have made their appearances at the World Cup. The French national team— a frontrunner for the championship — showcased HACs alongside items from Chanel and Louis Vuitton. French player Marcus Thuram was seen with a vibrant green suede maxi flap bag from a collaboration between Chanel and Pharrell Williams, while Rayan Cherki carried an oversized Hermès Kelly Maxi.
However, Haaland’s remarkable collection has sparked renewed conversations about men and the concept of the handbag. The contrast between the quintessential masculinity embodied by a professional athlete and the traditionally feminine associations of luxury bags seems to create tension in broader society.
Images of Haaland on the tarmac shared on social media were accompanied by homophobic remarks and questions regarding the athlete’s masculinity. “I will never understand why a grown man wants to carry a handbag,” one user on Instagram commented.
Conversely, some comments were more positive. “So this is how I find out Haaland is a baddie???” another user remarked.
“For a long time, societal norms dictated what men should and shouldn’t wear, but there’s a noticeable shift happening where individuals are asserting their freedom to express themselves,” Savoie explained. “If it brings me joy, I’ll wear it however I choose.” He noted the growing trend of male athletes donning high-end jewelry, such as pieces from Van Cleef & Arpels, on the field, even when these items carry more feminine connotations.
The irony in categorizing an Hermès HAC as hyper-feminine lies in the fact that this bag was originally designed in the late 1800s as a utility for carrying equestrian gear, in line with other products from the brand during that era. The brand did not launch a handbag specifically aimed at women until many years later, when its product line expanded to include more than just leather goods. “There’s a growing recognition of the beauty in various items, regardless of gender,” Savoie remarked. “I can’t even fathom why these bags are assigned genders.”
Amid the discussions surrounding his handbag preferences, Haaland appears unfazed. He netted two goals during each of his initial two matches in this year’s World Cup, making him only the sixth player in history to achieve such a feat. Savoie commented that the combination of Haaland’s athletic talent and exquisite taste only enhances his appeal to a broader audience, regardless of critics. “It simply adds another facet to his narrative,” he concluded.
