It’s a good week to be Erling Haaland’s agent. Even though the Norwegian Manchester City soccer star was knocked out with his team when they were beaten by Jude Bellingham’s England a few days ago (who were themselves knocked out by Argentina yesterday), Haaland has undoubtedly become the star of the tournament. And because he has such a huge interest in style and luxe, he is being inundated with endorsement offers from luxury-goods companies.
Dolce & Gabbana obviously got there first and have been working with the soccer celebrity for some years now. This week, he was the guest of honor at the designer’s annual haute couture show in Sicily’s Taormina. Even though he was sitting next to James Bond candidate Theo James at their Alta Sartoria show in Taormina’s Teatro Antico—the breathtaking ancient amphitheater overlooking the Ionian Sea, and with Mount Etna looming on the horizon—it was Haaland the photographers and the invited guests wanted a picture of. He arrived wearing a beautiful bespoke Dolce & Gabbana evening suit, towering over all of the 100 male models strutting their stuff around him.
Originally built by the Greeks in the 3rd century BC and later enlarged by the Romans, the theater stands among Sicily’s most iconic historic landmarks. Its sweeping stone tiers and open-air stage provide an extraordinary setting where history, architecture, and nature converge. Drawing inspiration from Cavalleria Rusticana, the designers transformed the monument into a grand open-air opera, celebrating the drama, artistry, and cultural richness of Sicily. Against a panorama of sea, coastline, and volcano, the spectacle certainly felt timeless.
