Post: Haaland vacations with PLT founder, his status in celebrity circles is rising.

According to a recent report in the Daily Mail, Haaland has a very close relationship with Umar Qamani, the founder of Pretty Little Thing (PLT).

After the World Cup, Haaland and Kamani vacationed together on a yacht along the French Riviera. This wasn't their first luxury trip—the two had previously visited Monaco and Saint-Tropez together, and also partied in Dubai. Furthermore, the Daily Mail revealed that a close friend of Kamani facilitated Haaland's recent viral meeting with Michael Jordan.

This also demonstrates Haaland's rising status among celebrities. After a long season, such a reunion is a well-deserved relaxation.

Kamani had watched Norway defeat Brazil in the World Cup Round of 16 with Haaland's family, in which the striker scored two goals. The two embarked on this trip together shortly after Norway's elimination by England.

Their friendship dates back to 2022, when Haaland joined Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund for £51 million. That was a significant moment for the young striker – his father, Alf-Ingol, played for the club, and Haaland, born in Leeds, says he has been a Manchester City fan since childhood.

Kamani himself is a Manchester City fan and has a good relationship with some of the team's players, who introduced the two to each other. Sources say the two hit it off immediately and have gotten along very well ever since. Their shared love of football, luxury watches, and adventure has further strengthened their bond.

By the winter of 2022, five months after they met, Harland and Kamani had become so close that Harland received an invitation from the fashion tycoon to his Dubai mansion.

It was during the Qatar World Cup, and Norway failed to qualify for the finals, thus Haaland missed the tournament. The Manchester City star took a break mid-season and visited Kamani with sports therapist Mario Pafonti; Pafonti remains one of Haaland's closest allies to this day.

In the summer of 2023, Haaland and his father boarded a luxury superyacht with Kamani, carrying numerous celebrities, including Tommy Hilfiger—yes, the founder behind the eponymous brand. During the trip, Haaland also casually had lunch with Prince Albert II of Monaco.

To welcome 2024, Haaland and his girlfriend attended a private party hosted by Kamani in Dubai. Anthony Joshua and Derek Chisola were also present. Fortunately, no fight broke out. Kamani wore a pink suit and a giant mascot headgear, seemingly dressed as himself.

Haaland also visited the Kamani Club, a private gym the businessman owns in Dubai. The two soaked side-by-side in an ice bath, posed for photos laughing, and trained with athletes from various sports, including boxing and tennis.

To our knowledge, Haaland will not attend Kamani's £20 million, four-day wedding in 2024. Kamani and his wife Nada received a £1.45 million engagement ring in August 2021 and subsequently tied the knot in two lavish weddings in the south of France.

But in many ways, it's not surprising that Haaland and Kamani became friends, as they share many similarities. Haaland is a workaholic, maintaining his fitness through long hours in the gym, eating large chunks of grilled steak, and drinking raw milk and honey. To stay at his peak, he takes ice baths five times a week—none of these methods are too unorthodox, nor are any sacrifices too great.

Kamani shares the same drive. At 38, his business spans the globe, but deep down he's still a Manchester lad.

He grew up in Cholton, southwest of Manchester, in a family of 18. His grandfather, Abdullah, fled war-torn Kenya in the 1960s and made a living selling handbags at a market stall in northwest England.

Kamani was born for the fashion industry. His father, Mahmoud, co-founded Boohoo with Carole Kane in 2006. Young Umar was also influenced, founding PLT with his brother Adam in 2012.

“It’s impossible for me not to work in the fashion industry. I was born in the fashion world. It’s like, if you can’t breathe, what else can you do?” he once told Drapers.

Pretty Little Thing revolutionized the fashion retail industry—young people could suddenly buy clothes that were inexpensive and resembled those of their idols.

The design team monitors celebrities' social media activity, and within just a few days, the company can launch a cheap knock-off for ordinary consumers. The clothes can cost as little as 6 pence.

However, not everything is rosy. The brand has been accused of fostering a disposable consumer culture—which is bad for the environment—and of impacting brick-and-mortar retail stores with promotions offering discounts of up to 99%.

On a darker note, Boohoo, the parent company of the Kamani family, was accused in 2020 of paying its employees as little as £3.50 an hour and forcing some of them to continue working in appalling conditions after some tested positive for COVID-19.

A alleged "sweatshop" scandal at a Leicester factory has sparked an investigation by the UK's National Crime Agency. The revelations caused the company's share price to plummet. Kamani stepped down as CEO of PLT in 2023 but returned to the company in September 2024.

Earlier this year, Boohoo, in which Kamani holds a minority stake, faced a new lawsuit seeking £10 million in damages, with investors accusing his father, Mahmoud, of knowing the "sweatshop" conditions that caused the share price to plummet by 42%. Mahmoud stated in 2020 that it was "impossible for him to know everything about the business."

Regardless of the outcome, one thing is certain: the brotherhood between Umar Qamani and Haaland allows them to unwind from their high-pressure work environment through several social gatherings each year, and provides them with opportunities and connections they never dared to dream of before.