We can’t think of anyone who does the current model off-duty look – sweat pants, a crop top and hoop earrings – better than Hailey Baldwin. The street style aesthetic, which is championed by the likes of Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski, is about being totally effortless, and it’s something that the 20-year-old has cultivated to the level of an art form.
It’s no surprise then that she was asked to creative direct Adidas and JD’s new EQT street style-inspired show, after modelling for the Originals line earlier this year. Deciding everything from the models to the music (Rafferty Law, Naomie Anderson and Vivienne Westwood’s granddaughter Cora Corre for the former, Frank Ocean for the latter), it’s entirely her vision – and it’s one that really works for Adidas.
‘I’m probably a nightmare for everyone,’ she laughs, backstage prior to her styling debut. ‘Yesterday we were at fittings and I was like ‘can I cut this, can I change this’ but they’ve given me a lot of freedom to do it the way I want and how I think it should be seen.’
This means oversized hoodies worn on their own, jackets slouched down over the shoulders and trackies tucked into pulled up socks, all accessorised with bling gold jewellery, Coachella-style bandanas and plenty of swagger. Basically, it’s all very Hailey.
‘I just like to be comfortable,’ she says of her own style, ‘Sometimes I feel like I want to put together a sick outfit but I think there’s something really cool about effortlessness. I go around in sweats and big hoodies a lot of the time. I think there’s just something great about a fresh-faced girl with her hair pulled back and wearing sweats.’
Individual-style aside, the show is also notable for its choice of models, the majority of whom don’t fit into the usual ‘model’ stereotype. ‘To be honest a lot of the problems that I have as a model in couture shows or fashion is that I’m not super tall,’ explains Hailey. ‘I didn’t just want 5’11, super-thin girls – they’re great, obviously – but I wanted some other, different-looking girls, too. Some are shorter, some are curvier but I think they’re all so beautiful and cool-looking.’
With only a few minutes left before she’s ushered away to do the final check-through before the show starts, we ask the killer question: out of all of your celebrity friends, whose wardrobe do you raid the most?
‘Probably Kendall’s – she’s one of my best friends,’ she says. ‘I stay with her a lot and we’re around each other a lot, and we go through times where we go ‘can I borrow a hoody, can I borrow this’ – I think that’s super normal with your friends.’
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