Throughout Norway, the Marius Sweater has deep traditions in Norwegian supporter culture. Named after war- and ski hero Marius Eriksen, then brought to new heights by his brother Stein Eriksen, gold medalist from 1952. Since then it has been part of Norwegian history and popular culture.
Just like chess, knitting is a growing trend in Norway. Basically this is two large, but quite different audiences, that’s why we launched Magnus sweater: A project chess enthusiasts could play with while they followed the World Cup, and a way into the VG chess broadcasts for the knitting enthusiasts. The functionality was as easily adaptable for playful amateurs as for ambitious knitting experts. Create a pattern in five minutes or draw intricate designs, mask by mask till you are soar. The common objective for all was to create the ultimate supporter sweater for our man in Russia.
The sweaters were consecutively published live in banners and digital boards as they were submitted with a request to people to vote for their favourite. In addition to the general public, a panel of judges each picked their favourite during VG chess broadcasts. Among these, Carlsen finally chose a winner, the official Magnus Sweater.