Norway Is Rowing Into the World Cup and Somehow Also Into My Heart

This has nothing to do with belt bags and everything to do with why I started this brand in the first place.

Norway is at the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 28 years. And they showed up. Not quietly. Not humbly. They showed up in Viking helmets, rowing in perfect synchronization on a Boston escalator, a group of Norwegian fans sitting on an escalator at South Station as if it were a longboat, performing a synchronized Viking Row all the way to the next floor.

I watched that video approximately eleven times. I'm not ashamed.

The Viking Row is a synchronized rowing-style chant that has become synonymous with Norwegian football support — and at the World Cup opener against Iraq, thousands of Norway fans performed it in the stands, eventually moving in perfect rhythm and generating one of the most memorable fan moments of the tournament so far. This hits differently when you are headquartered in Minnesota, home of the Minnesota Vikings. 

Norway beat Iraq 4-1, with Erling Haaland scoring twice on his FIFA World Cup debut — scoring four goals in a single match at a major tournament for the first time in their history. 

Iconic. Fully iconic.

But here's why I'm actually writing this post.

Someone in Norway bought a FITSO belt bag.

I don't know who they are. I don't know how they found us. I don't know if they were already a fan or if the algorithm did something unhinged and magical. But somewhere in Norway — a country that is currently living their best life at the World Cup, rowing on escalators and wearing horned helmets with complete confidence — there is a plus-size bestie with a FITSO belt bag.

And I am so grateful.

Because that's the thing about building something like this. You pour yourself into it. You think about every size, every strap length, every affirmation tucked inside. You think about the people who have spent years being told they don't fit — in seats, in clothes, in spaces that weren't built for them. And then one day, someone an ocean away clicks "add to cart," and suddenly this little brand from the Twin Cities is in Norway.

I don't need to know who you are. But I love you. Genuinely. You're out there living your life, maybe watching Haaland score goals, maybe rowing on an escalator for fun, and you've got a FITSO bag on. That's everything.

FITSO exists for the person who is done waiting for the world to make room for them. We make room. We ship to Norway apparently. We row the boat.

If you're out there — our Norwegian bestie — drop us a DM. Tag us. Row on an escalator. Whatever feels right. We just want to say hi. 

💙❤️ — Sami & the FITSO family