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Trying – and, frankly, succeeding – to channel Claudia Schiffer in GUESS’s 35th anniversary campaign, Hailey Baldwin is the epitome of everything the iconic US brand stands for in one very sassy, blonde package. Sashaying around a Los Angeles denim washing facility, she’s the impossibly gorgeous girl next door; your hottest girlfriend on a really good day, all pout, shaggy hair and legs that go on for days.
It’s for this reason that we imagine GUESS has chosen her as its latest ambassadress. It is, after all, as known for casting devastatingly attractive bombshells as it is for its untold iterations of denim. Hailey is the perfect partner in crime. The ultimate champion of easy yet flirtatious glamour, a twinkle in her cat-eye, making the brand’s rail of limited-edition denim, reissued from the Eighties archives, come alive with the kind of seductive appeal that would make Claudia proud.
Born into Hollywood royalty – the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin and niece of Alec – Hailey has also cemented herself as a key player in the modern-day equivalent of the Brat Pack – a model squad that includes her mates Kylie, Kendall and Gigi.
But she’s legit, too, having walked for numerous designers as well as fronted campaigns for Topshop, French Connection and, as of last year, denim behemoth GUESS. But what was it about the American beauty that Paul Marciano, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of the brand, that struck him the most? “Hailey was the perfect choice because she represents a timeless and iconic beauty with a very modern twist,” he tells GRAZIA.
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After a bizarre crossing of paths at the chiropractor in LA – they don’t call it La La Land for nothing – Paul tells us he “realised she had an absolutely beautiful and fresh, modern face. She has a great personality so we connected immediately and decided to work together.” Sigh. If only our visits to the chiropractor were quite so glamorous… But he’s hardly the first to notice her knockout looks. She’s also become a spokeswoman for L’Oréal Professionnel and recently made her debut as an accessories designer, teaming up with Australian brand, The Daily Edited.
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She’s also just walked AW17 catwalks for everyone from Elie Saab, Philipp Plein, Tommy Hilfiger and Zadig + Voltaire to name but a few, although she likes to claim that she doesn’t do that many. “I don’t do a lot of runway,” she tells us. “It’s very different to a photo shoot. Shows are a lot more nerve-racking!” She also confesses that she’s not ready to be compared to the likes of Gigi and Kendall in the modelling stakes just yet. “I’m not on the same level as them,” she admits, preferring to work with multiple brands on more of an ambassadorial level.
“We’re not in the same place in our careers.”
As if all that doesn’t keep her busy enough, she also signed her third denim campaign last year, the last in a long list of iconic predecessors at GUESS. From BFF Gigi Hadid to Anna Nicole Smith, Adriana Lima and Drew Barrymore, Hailey also joins the aforementioned Claudia Schiffer; naming the original Super as the GUESS girl she most admires. Paul agrees, singling her out as the celebrity that really put GUESS on the map. “The icon who perfectly epitomizes the brand for me is Claudia. I knew the very first day I saw her that she was a star and that she was going to embody the iconic beauty I had in mind.”
He continues, “The GUESS girl isn’t afraid to take risks and wants to be noticed when she walks into a room. She’s confident, sexy and wears clothing that enhances her sensuality. It’s important that the models I select possess an iconic, timeless look. They need to be able to transmit the classic sensuality which is the DNA of our brand.” Something that Hailey clearly has in spades. She summarises, “It’s awesome being a GUESS girl; so many amazing people have done it before me. It’s such a classic brand.” With her being a classic beauty, we have no doubt the pair were made for each other. Hailey Baldwin: the ultimate GUESS girl? We think so…
This article first appeared in GRAZIA UAE.
