Hailey Bieber is taking a brief break from beauty to focus on fashion.
The Rhode founder has teamed up with Gap for a limited-edition denim collaboration, and while the collection is already selling out, many fans are comparing the campaign to Sydney Sweeney‘s much-discussed American Eagle ads.
Inspired by 1996—the year she was born and one of Gap’s most iconic fashion eras—the six-piece capsule pays tribute to ’90s denim. You can browse the release here.
“1996 was the year I was born and I get a lot of style inspiration from the ’90s,” the mom of one said. “There was something so effortless about that era and the way people wore denim.”
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Fans Compare Hailey Bieber's Gap Campaign To Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle Ad
The collection, titled The Hailey Jean, features two relaxed, vintage-inspired silhouettes, each available in three custom washes for a total of six styles. Made from 100% rigid cotton, the jeans reinterpret Bieber's favorite thrifted fits while adding personal details, including a custom "1996" leather back patch and her signature printed inside the pocket lining.
Each pair retailed for $89, but both styles sold out shortly after launching online, with shoppers already asking Gap for a restock.
Although both Bieber's Gap collaboration and Sweeney's American Eagle campaign center around denim, the two launches couldn't have been more different.
The model's campaign leaned into nostalgia and timeless '90s style, highlighting vintage-inspired silhouettes and effortless everyday dressing. Meanwhile, the Euphoria star's campaign sparked widespread debate after featuring a voiceover explaining that "genes are passed down from parents to offspring" before ending with the tagline "Great Jeans." Promotional photos from Sydney's campaign had the phrase "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans," causing an uproar on social media.
The biological wordplay, paired with Sweeney's blonde hair and blue eyes, prompted backlash online, with critics calling the messaging tone-deaf. American Eagle defended the campaign as a playful pun, and despite the controversy, it generated massive online attention.
Fans React
Many social media users felt Bieber's campaign showed what a denim ad should look like.
"This is what AE thought they were serving with Sydney Sweeney. HA yeah right," one person wrote on Instagram.
Another commented, "American Eagle has to take notes—that's how u do a jean ad idk what's up with offspring like Sydney says."
Others added, "Now THIS is a jean ad," "That's how you do a jeans ad @americaneagle," and "Gap ads are always so good."
The collaboration feels like a natural extension of Hailey's personal style. The 29-year-old has become known for making relaxed denim a staple of her off-duty wardrobe, frequently pairing oversized jeans with minimalist basics.
Last year, she embraced the dark-indigo denim trend in a pair of loose-fitting jeans that struck the perfect balance between high-rise and low-rise.
She styled them with a fitted white tube top, flip-flops, a woven shoulder bag, and skinny sunglasses—an effortlessly cool look that has since become one of her signature fashion formulas.
