Niki Taylor, 50, was a top ’90s model who posed for Vogue and was pals with Cindy Crawford, see her now

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Iconic 90s supermodel Niki Taylor was a top star.

She became a hugely popular model, rising to prominence with other famous faces like Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Christy Turlington.

She worked as a CoverGirl model and was named one of People magazine’s Most Beautiful People at a very young age.

In May 1996, the model achieved a remarkable feat by appearing on the cover of six magazines – Vogue, Allure, Elle, Marie Claire, Self, and Shape – all in the same month. She had first graced a magazine cover – Seventeen – seven years prior, when she was only 14 years old.

At just 15 years old, she first appeared on the cover of Vogue in 1990, making her the second-youngest person ever to grace the magazine’s cover.

She went on to work with major brands like L’Oreal, Gap, Versace, and Jean Paul Gaultier, and walked in fashion shows across the globe.

See what she looks like now. 

Now, she is heading back to the runway.

Taylor and Dayanara Torres, a Puerto Rican actress and former Miss Universe who was previously married to Marc Anthony (Jennifer Lopez’s ex-husband), will walk the runway at the Mott50 Edition & Coolibar Sun Safe Soirée fashion show in New York City on Thursday, September 18th.

This rooftop showcase celebrates Taylor’s return to the runway alongside Torres.

In 2024 Taylor spoke with daily Mail.

She believes age is less about how you look and more about your attitude and inner self.

‘As long as you feel good and healthy, you can pretty much take on anything,’ she said.    

For many years, the fashion and beauty worlds have unfairly stigmatized getting older, leading numerous models to feel they were only valued for a limited time.

Traditionally, models achieved success at a young age, but recently, we’ve seen a growing number finding success later in their careers.

Niki feels this change is overdue, noting she’s observed people within the industry working to improve diversity for quite some time. She’s pleased that this effort is finally visible in advertising and marketing.

Years ago, it was very unusual to see a fashion model over the age of 30. But she believes age is just a number, explaining that everyone gets older and changes over time.

Niki actually prefers the term ‘timeless’ over ‘ageless,’ feeling it more accurately reflects how she thinks about getting older.

Niki still looks as young as she did when she first worked with CoverGirl, but a lot has happened in her life since that iconic 1992 campaign.

The supermodel is a mother of four. She has twin sons, Jake and Hunter, with her former husband, Matt Martinez, and a daughter named Ciel and a son named Rex with her husband of over 14 years, Burney Lamar.

She’s juggling a thriving modeling career with her family life in Nashville. The two often overlap, like when her husband, Burney, assisted her with shooting her latest CoverGirl campaign.

She explained that this was the first time she’d handled all the photography for a campaign herself, turning her home into a makeshift studio.

My husband helped me film the video using my iPhone. I did my own hair and makeup, and it was a lot of fun! Then I sent all the footage to CoverGirl for editing.

Niki has also endured heartbreaking tragedy and difficult trauma over the years. 

In 1995, Niki experienced a devastating loss when her sister and close friend, Krissy, unexpectedly died from heart disease at just 17 years old. This happened only three years after Niki began her partnership with CoverGirl.

In a 2014 interview with Oprah, Niki spoke about the devastating loss, saying they were incredibly close and did everything together, and that she missed her dearly.

In 2001, Niki was seriously injured in a car accident in Atlanta, Georgia. Her boyfriend at the time, Chad Renegar, was driving when the accident occurred.

Renegar seemed to have been trying to answer his phone when he lost control of the car and hit a utility pole.

I’ve always admired Niki’s openness about going through such difficult times. She’s been so brave sharing her experiences with losing her sibling and recovering from a serious car accident. It’s really inspiring to see how she’s turned those experiences into something positive by working with two charities that clearly mean a lot to her.

She shared that she’s particularly passionate about supporting the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association, explaining these causes are personally meaningful to her.

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2025-09-15 17:49