Hailey Bieber Stylist Karla Welch Talks Music Festival Style

Supermodel Hailey Bieber, 25, has been a fixture at Coachella for years

She usually attends the Palm Springs, CA music festival in laidback looks with a nostalgic fashion slant; think ’90s-inspired graphic tees mixed with cutoffs, or crop tops and cargo pants accessorised with body chains. For Bieber’s
festival outfits, her stylist Karla Welch — who also counts Justin Bieber and Tracee Ellis Ross as clients — often thrifts and sources items from her personal closet. That process inspired Welch’s new partnership with secondhand retailer thredUP on an edit of festival clothes ranging from printed denim to vintage tops.

The collaboration couldn’t come at a better time, as festival season is proving to be one of the fashion industry’s most wasteful periods. thredUP recently commissioned a festival fashion survey, conducted from retail analytics firm GlobalData and profiling 2,000 American adults over 18. They found that half of this year’s festival-goers plan to buy a new outfit; one in three shoppers say they’ll only wear their purchase once; and 40 percent of the Gen-Z population deem it unlikely they’ll re-wear whatever they buy. Welch hopes to show these shoppers that they can still prioritise sustainability while crafting their festival wardrobes.

Thrifting is key for sourcing fashion in an eco-friendly way “The best way to thrift is to be open to what you discover and let the items find you,” she advises, noting that she loves hunting for the perfect pair of secondhand jeans and prefers Levi’s orange tabs and 501s. “You never know what you’ll find, so you have to keep an open mind.”

Alongside lots of denim, Welch’s festival mood board includes oversized blazers, moto jackets, grunge boots, and the perfect white tee: all classic, time-honoured staples. There is one passing festival fashion trend, however, she’s excited about this season. “The fashion from shows like ‘Euphoria’ will definitely influence the trends people test out at festivals,” she says.

Ahead of her collection launch, Welch shared her top three festival styling secrets for 2022, as illustrated by Bieber’s looks at Coachella. Click through for her best fashion advice.