"I was growing up in the industry and I was just overwhelmed by his artistic abilities. It was a different time, when the industry shined, because he was an artist and he had the personality. He was behind the scenes and in front of the scenes. We are sadly lacking in stars of his magnitude, now. When he walked into a room, you felt power.

"We miss him, we miss the time when muses that had personality and the creative teams behind them had personalities – it made the industry electric.

"He was just a huge talent and I think to this day he’s inspiring young people. How can you not find inspiration in Kevyn Aucoin? History repeats itself and we are in a time when people are finding the things he did in makeup as inspiration for what to to do going forward. I’m glad that his work continues to exist."

— Ivan Bart, IMG Models senior vice-president and managing director


Always ahead of his time, Aucoin was promoting environmentally-friendly beauty before it was cool. Here, Kiara Kabakuru models a minimalistic, "purist" look.

Photo: Courtesy of Kevyn Aucoin