Hailey Bieber on Creating Her Dream Jeans for Gap

Hailey Bieber has always been a jeans girl. The model and beauty mogul has made them a core part of her oft-replicated style, pairing them with slogan sweatshirts and flip-flops as well as oversize blazers and chic little leather loafers. It’s been well-reported that Gap’s Low-Rise ’90s Loose Jeans are some of her absolute favorites. And now Bieber is making it official with the Hailey Jean—a limited-edition capsule that reimagines Gap’s relaxed denim through her own luxe and low-key personal style lens.

The exclusive collection focuses on two relaxed styles inspired by the ’90s: the Extra Baggy and the Low-Rise Loose, each priced at $89 and available in three different custom washes. The laid-back fit takes cues from the men’s pair Bieber regularly wears and has had personally tailored to her individual style. “I got super involved,” Bieber shares via Zoom, a few weeks before the launch of the collection. “From the shoot and video to the storytelling and designing, I’m not at the point in my life where I want to just lend my name to something, if it’s going to be a real collaboration.”

For over nine years, Bieber has been obsessively tailoring all of her clothing to get her streamlined, minimalist look. She brought a similar approach to the design processes of the jeans, which she tweaked and iterated on until she felt like the fit was custom-tailored. “I really made them my own,” she says, noting “all the little spins and last-minute changes” that were made to the length and waist to get the fit right.

“So many times I’ve worked with a tailor and I’m like, ‘Can you just take this in?’ I’ll pinch it between my fingernails and be like, ‘Just this much.’ And they’ll say, ‘That’s not going to change it.’ And I’m like, ‘No, trust me, it will,’” she says with a laugh. “I’m really, really specific and picky, and pay attention to the way things fit and feel on my body.”

In many ways, the capsule is the ultimate tribute to Bieber’s own aesthetic, with an ultraminimal studio campaign shot by Mario Sorrenti and styled by fashion and image consultant Alastair McKimm, showcasing the jeans with layered tees in black and white. “I always come back to a place of less is more, and just wanting to be comfortable,” Bieber says. “I’m not afraid to try something new because I feel like when you take a chance, sometimes that’s how you create really cool moments with your style.”

At her core, however, Bieber says she’s just someone who really loves a pair of jeans and a T-shirt: “I find myself gravitating toward that a lot because I like to just be chic and simple, and wear things that make me feel good.”

As for her favorite ways to style the new jeans? With a heel and a cute little vintage top (or a big white button-up), or a white tank and black flip-flops. “I feel like an outfit that you stole from your boyfriend’s closet is really sexy and cute,” she says.

Homing in on Bieber’s favorite decade of reference, the jeans—a rigid 100% cotton meant to break in over time—feature a subtle “1996” design detail in honor of her birth year, alongside her autograph printed inside the pocket lining. “I feel like I sound like a broken record when I say this because it’s so true,” she adds: “I’m so inspired by the ’90s—[from the] movies to the actresses, actors, and models. It’s where a lot of the inspiration and storytelling comes from [for beauty brand] Rhode.”

Bieber cites Kate Moss, Gwyneth Paltrow, Christy Turlington, and Elizabeth Hurley as her ultimate inspirations. “I find myself saving photos a lot of photos of Elizabeth Hurley,” she says. “Her street style was very simple and effortless.” To bring the nostalgic ’90s theme home, the campaign film, directed by Charlie Di Placido, includes the iconic “Linger” anthem by the Cranberries.