Before she was gracing the pages of top fashion glossies and walking the runway for Tommy Hilfiger, Moschino, and Dolce & Gabbana, Hailey Bieber dreamed of being a ballerina—and was on track to making her dream come true. She trained at the prestigious American Ballet Theatre through her teen years, focusing all her energy on dance. Everything changed when a friend asked if she’d thought about modeling.

“I would love to be able to leave a positive impression in style, with my business, with who I was as a person, with the way I treated people. I really do hope that my life would speak for itself when I’m no longer here.” —Hailey Bieber 

The New York native did a test shoot with promising results and, enchanted by the experience of telling a story in front of the camera, decided to swap her pointe shoes for photoshoots. At 16, Bieber booked her first modeling job—kicking off a whirlwind career. The last decade has been a busy one for the 26-year-old style icon, filled with global catwalks, big-name campaigns, and even the launch of her own skincare line, Rhode, in 2022.

“My favorite part [of modeling] is being able to see something come to life. When you’re doing a shoot, you’re always trying to tell a story. Seeing that story come to life, and being able to show clothes in a different way and tell that story, has been really fun.” —Hailey Bieber 

At the same time, Bieber has focused on using her platform for good, from getting candid about mental health to supporting social causes through philanthropic efforts like the Rhode Futures Foundation. From dancer to model to entrepreneur, the multi-hyphenate maven is proof you don’t need to limit yourself to one dream—you can, and should, chase them all.

“The inner dialogue of how I speak to myself, and how I encourage myself, in my own head has been something that’s been really important for me. Confidence can grow over time, and I think that’s been the case for me. I understand what I’m good at and what I can bring to the table. And I know that more now than I ever have before.” —Hailey Bieber 

This cover story appears in the pages of V144: now available for purchase!

Photography Inez & Vinoodh

Fashion Paul Sinclaire

Makeup Sam Visser (Art Partner)

Hair Jimmy Paul (Susan Price NYC)

Model Hailey Bieber (IMG)

Manicure Deborah Lippmann (Home Agency)

Producer John Nadzi (VLM Productions)

Production manager Michael Gleeson (VLM Productions)

Lighting director Jodokus Driessen (VLM Studio)

Digital technician Marc Kroop (VLM Studio)

Photo assistant Joe Hume (VLM Studio)

Stylist assistants Coco Knudson, Timothy Cheng, Jesse Pickel

Makeup assistants Shimu Takanori, Micka Omura

Hair assistant LaMesha Mosley

Manicure assistants Bojir Hasanov, Joelle Rodriguez

Retouching StereoHorse

Location Pier 59 Studios

Special Thanks Luiz Mattos