From controversial teen runway star, to commercial dream girl, Hailey Clauson talks to WWD about her journey so far.
Back in 2010, Hailey Clauson was the modeling industry’s darling du jour. She walked practically every major runway for the spring 2011 season, from Calvin Klein to Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton to Versace, Hermès to Lanvin — and she was only a sophomore in high school. Cue the headlines. Remember the Diane von Furstenberg runway dustup, when the designer ended up with a 15-year-old in her show while joining the outcry for models 16 and older? That was Clauson. And a year later, when Urban Outfitters was slapped with a lawsuit for selling a T-shirt with an image of a model sitting on a motorcycle in a racy position? Clauson again. “It was just funny, because I had so many controversies, but I was the most innocent and good 15- to 16-year-old in the world.”
And then her body changed and she took a time-out. “I couldn’t do shows anymore, and no one really knew what to do with me,” Clauson said, chalking up her newfound womanly curves to puberty. After taking a year off to regroup, she is back with a new career. Now all of 19, Clauson is repped by One Management and has a sharp focus on editorial work — and a healthy dose of body confidence to boot. These days, she embodies a Bardot-esque vintage glamour, and proves it in Agent Provocateur’s spring campaign. She’s also the cover model on the July issue of Flaunt and the summer issue of Galore Magazine.
