Football superstar Lionel Messi, in a particularly bizarre fashion decision, recently drew the attention of everyone by coming to a training or match destination carrying a whopping ₹57 lakh approximately $68,000 Hermes Birkin bag on his arm. What most people take as the ultimate accessory in luxurious fashion was reimagined as something loud and sporty when Messi took the stage in it, a blend of high end catwalk fashion and real world football culture.
Lionel Messi rocking Hermes Birkin?
Hermes Birkin is often associated with Luxury and exclusivity. Conventionally evoking the idea of catwalks and rich clubs, it is hard to believe one can see such an exclusive product accepted in a football setup. However, the transfer of Messi has upset that convention making the Birkin more of a feminine and fashion icon than an athletic statement.
Lionel Messi not the first one to rock a Hermes Birkin
This trendy gesture is not altogether new, Messi has become the latest addition to an increasing list of other male icons such as Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, and Travis Scott to be seen toting a Hermes Birkin. But the fact that the fields used to train or play football are the background of such an object makes its impact even more dramatic. It highlights a larger cultural transformation in which there is an increased blurring of the lines between sport and upper end fashion, furthering the argument that high fashion has entered the field in more than one way.
More than just a look, A new flex
By combining the traditionally conservative football setting with a bold fashion accessory, Messi, in addition to attracting attention, also sparks the discussion about masculinity, luxury, and sport. His relaxed, but daring pose is a message in itself, the Birkin is no longer a runway item, it is now the new flex in the locker room as well.
The very fact that Messi is not afraid to wear a ₹57 lakh Hermes Birkin bag is a signifier of the increased power of athletes as cultural arbiters off the field. Not just a figure of performance anymore, modern sports stars are now influencing not only trends in fashion and lifestyle, but in luxury branding as well. Normalizing the Birkin in a football setting, Messi unites two worlds together: reminding the audience that current athletes are global leaders in style as much as sports heroes. His body language supports the story that exclusivity and opulence can still be combined with grit and sweat, and that football world stars are now as powerful an attraction in luxury suites as in the field.
