The Kknekki story: What Haaland's hair tie teaches about global branding

When Erling Haaland's colorful hair ties became the talk of town during this summer's FIFA World Cup, many South Koreans were surprised to learn that the brand wrapped around the Norwegian striker's trademark ponytail had Korean roots. But the story behind Kknekki is not simply one of a Korean product finding international success. It is also the story of two companies, nearly 8,000 kilometers apart, that each decided the other could do something they couldn't. "We felt we cracked the code on ho