Clauson was discovered on an open casting call in
Los Angeles,
Ford Models signed her on the spot, a "surreal" experience she recalled. Clauson began modeling at age 14, appearing in ad campaigns for Wild Fox Couture,
Jag Jeans and in the
Forever 21 catalog. In September 2010 she made her catwalk debut at the spring ADAM show in
New York and walked for
Zac Posen and
Calvin Klein. In 2011, she left Marilyn Agency and signed with
Next Models. On February 18, Clauson appeared on
E! News accompanied by her mother, for her first television interview. She appeared in the Fall/Winter campaigns for
Topshop,
Zara, Moussy, and Plein Sud as well as in
Jay-Z’s alternative video,
Empire State Of Mind which featured top models. Clauson appeared on
E! News (her mother was with her) for her first TV interview which aired on February 18. In February 2012, the case against the photographer was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction by the
New York-based federal court. The other three defendants settled with Clauson. Controversy aside, Clauson was in the Fall/Winter campaigns for Topshop, Zara, Moussy, and Plein Sud in 2012. In January 2014, model Hailey Clauson was the focus of an
Agent Provocateur advertising campaign called "Behind Closed Doors," which was photographed by Miles Aldridge. Clauson appeared nude in body paint in the 2015
SI Swimsuit issue. == Personal life ==