Iconic 90s supermodel Niki Taylor was a top star.
The blonde beauty shot to fame as one of the most successful models of the era, alongside fellow icons like Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington.
She was CoverGirl model and earned the title of the youngest person to be featured as one of People’s Most Beautiful People.
The blonde made history in May 1996 by starring on the cover of six different magazines – Vogue, Allure, Elle, Marie Claire, Self, and Shape – in the same month, having landed her first cover – for Seventeen – seven years earlier when she was just 14.
In 1990, she landed herself on the front of Vogue for the first time, becoming the second youngest person, at age 15, to star on the cover of the publication.
Campaigns for major brands like L’Oreal, Gap, Versace, and Jean Paul Gaultier followed, as well as appearances in dozens of fashion shows the world over.
See what she looks like now.
Supermodel Niki Taylor was a top star. Seen on the runway in the early 1990s
She wore a bikini for the cover of Vogue magazine
The superstar’s first ever magazine cover shoot saw her featured on the front of Seventeen in 1989 (left), and she went on to pose for the likes of Vogue, Allure, and Elle
Now, she is heading back to the runway.
Taylor and Puerto Rican actress/ former Ms. Universe Dayanara Torres – who used to be wed to Jennifer Lopez’s ex Marc Anthony – will return to the runway for the Mott50 Edition & Coolibar Sun Safe Soirée fashion presentation on Thursday, September 18 in NYC.
This rooftop showcase celebrates Taylor’s return to the runway alongside Torres.
In 2024 Taylor spoke with daily Mail.
She explained that, for her, age is more about your state of mind and ‘what’s inside’ than your appearance.
‘As long as you feel good and healthy, you can pretty much take on anything,’ she said.
For decades, there has been a serious stigma about aging within the fashion and beauty industries, with many models speaking out about feeling as though they had a ‘shelf life’.
However, in recent years, that has begun to shift, with more and more models finding success later on in life.
The blonde beauty shot to fame as one of the most successful models of the era, alongside fellow icons like Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington; seen in the 1990s
She wears a bright yellow T-back tank bathing suit by J. Crew in a photo by Antoine Verglas for Conde Nast
She landed on a group Vogue cover in 1992 with Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Karen Mulder, Elaine Irwin, Yasmeen Ghauri, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell and Tatjana Patitz
Niki (pictured in 1989) shot to fashion fame in the late 80s, when she landed several high-profile campaigns like Cover Girl
Niki believes that this shift has been a long time coming, explaining that she has seen industry insiders making moves towards increasing diversity for years – a trend that she is happy to see is now being represented in advertisements and campaigns.
Niki’s sister Krissy, who was also a successful model, passed away of heart disease in 1995
‘It was unheard of to see a fashion model in her 30s back in the day. [But] it’s just a number, really! We’re all getting older, we’re all changing,’ she said.
Still, Niki jokes that she prefers the word ‘timeless’ rather than ‘ageless’, noting that it better captures her views on aging.
While Niki looks as though she hasn’t aged a day since her first CoverGirl campaign, her life has changed a great deal in the years that followed her history-making 1992 partnership with the brand.
The supermodel has become a mother to four children: twin sons, Jake and Hunter, whose father is her ex-husband Matt Martinez, and a daughter, Ciel, and son Rex with her husband of more than 14 years, Burney Lamar.
She now balances her work as a successful model with her commitments at home in Nashville – although sometimes the two worlds collide, as they did with her new CoverGirl campaign, which she revealed that husband Burney helped her to shoot.
‘This was the first time [that I’ve shot a campaign myself at home]… I transformed my house into a set!’ she shared.
‘My husband helped me film it with my iPhone. I did hair and makeup. It was very cool. Then I just sent [CoverGirl] a whole bunch of stuff to edit.’
Taylor seen this month in an ad for the fashion company Talbot’s
Niki has also endured heartbreaking tragedy and difficult trauma over the years.
In 1995, just three years after signing her first deal with CoverGirl, Niki’s sister and best friend Krissy suddenly passed away from heart disease at the age of 17.
‘We were very close. We worked together. We did everything together. I miss her very much,’ Niki said of the tragic loss during an interview with Oprah in 2014.
Then, in 2001, Niki herself was involved in a near fatal car accident in Atlanta, Georgia while being driven by then-boyfriend Chad Renegar.
Renegar was apparently attempting to answer his phone when he lost control of the car and crashed into a utility pole.
Over the years, Niki has spoken candidly about how she dealt with the loss of her sibling, and her recovery in the wake of her car crash, and today, she works closely with two charities that remain close to her heart in the wake of the tragedies.
‘My charities that I love are the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association, those are personal to me,’ she explained.
