"Our inspiration was, 'Stronger together. We like to celebrate different cultures and lots of different kinds of people in a unified way to show we are stronger together." <br />—Cory Hoffman, Matrix mentee
"Our inspiration was, 'Stronger together. We like to celebrate different cultures and lots of different kinds of people in a unified way to show we are stronger together." 
—Cory Hoffman, Matrix mentee

Photo courtesy of

Jamie Newman
"We are taking inspriation from futuristic grunge. We are taking premade wood pieces that correspond with the pieces that our fashion designer made for us." <br />—Logan Lucas, TIGI mentee
"We are taking inspriation from futuristic grunge. We are taking premade wood pieces that correspond with the pieces that our fashion designer made for us."
—Logan Lucas, TIGI mentee

Photo courtesy of

Jamie Newman
"What we did is took sunsets and based our looks off that. We added some futuristic touches for the BCL Art of Prediction theme." <br />—Lauren Mazza, Redken mentee
"What we did is took sunsets and based our looks off that. We added some futuristic touches for the BCL Art of Prediction theme." 
—Lauren Mazza, Redken mentee

Photo courtesy of

Jamie Newman
"We made a mood board and went through magazines and picked certain words that meant 'evocative' to us." <br />—Alaska Gaziolga, Pivot Point mentee and Leo Passage scholarship winner
"We made a mood board and went through magazines and picked certain words that meant 'evocative' to us." 
—Alaska Gaziolga, Pivot Point mentee and Leo Passage scholarship winner

Photo courtesy of

Jamie Newman
"Our colors reflect petrol or an oil slick. That is evocative to me." <br />—Matthew Stradling (left), Pivot Point mentee and Leo Passage scholarship winner
"Our colors reflect petrol or an oil slick. That is evocative to me." 
—Matthew Stradling (left), Pivot Point mentee and Leo Passage scholarship winner

Photo courtesy of

Jamie Newman
"Hair is becoming more ethnically inclusive rather than ethnically inclusive, and our collection shows that. My color story featured fabric instead of hair color itself." <br />—Reece Brown Willis, Mizani mentee
"Hair is becoming more ethnically inclusive rather than ethnically inclusive, and our collection shows that. My color story featured fabric instead of hair color itself." 
—Reece Brown Willis, Mizani mentee

Photo courtesy of

Jamie Newman
"It's all about mixing barbering and cosmetology and color." <br />—Nicole Gary, BaByliss Pro mentor
"It's all about mixing barbering and cosmetology and color." 
—Nicole Gary, BaByliss Pro mentor

Photo courtesy of

Jamie Newman
"The lean, masculine shape is what American Crew is known for, and you can see that in each of the models."<br />—Renata Hage, American Crew mentee
"The lean, masculine shape is what American Crew is known for, and you can see that in each of the models."
—Renata Hage, American Crew mentee

Photo courtesy of

Lauren Quick
"We focused on The Art of Prediction. With American Crew, we represent classic men's styling. So you'll see a classic pompadour, but not so refined." <br />—Jim Massey
"We focused on The Art of Prediction. With American Crew, we represent classic men's styling. So you'll see a classic pompadour, but not so refined." 
—Jim Massey

Photo courtesy of

Lauren Quick
"Our theme is Optical Illusion. If you look at a frozen lake, there's a reflection that mirrors on both sides. It might not be perfect, but it's the essence of that."<br />—Shane Adam Webb, Wella mentee
"Our theme is Optical Illusion. If you look at a frozen lake, there's a reflection that mirrors on both sides. It might not be perfect, but it's the essence of that."
—Shane Adam Webb, Wella mentee

Photo courtesy of

Jamie Newman
"The mentees all have such individual styles that when you see their nails, you can see their personalities." <br />—Winne Huang, CND mentee
"The mentees all have such individual styles that when you see their nails, you can see their personalities." 
—Winne Huang, CND mentee

Photo courtesy of

Jamie Newman
1/11
 
View all
"Our inspiration was, 'Stronger together. We like to celebrate different cultures and lots of different kinds of people in a unified way to show we are stronger together." <br />—Cory Hoffman, Matrix mentee
1/11
 
Slider
"Our inspiration was, 'Stronger together. We like to celebrate different cultures and lots of different kinds of people in a unified way to show we are stronger together." 
—Cory Hoffman, Matrix mentee

Photo courtesy of

Jamie Newman
"We are taking inspriation from futuristic grunge. We are taking premade wood pieces that correspond with the pieces that our fashion designer made for us." <br />—Logan Lucas, TIGI mentee
2/11
 
Slider
"We are taking inspriation from futuristic grunge. We are taking premade wood pieces that correspond with the pieces that our fashion designer made for us."
—Logan Lucas, TIGI mentee

Photo courtesy of

Jamie Newman
"What we did is took sunsets and based our looks off that. We added some futuristic touches for the BCL Art of Prediction theme." <br />—Lauren Mazza, Redken mentee
3/11
 
Slider
"What we did is took sunsets and based our looks off that. We added some futuristic touches for the BCL Art of Prediction theme." 
—Lauren Mazza, Redken mentee

Photo courtesy of

Jamie Newman
"We made a mood board and went through magazines and picked certain words that meant 'evocative' to us." <br />—Alaska Gaziolga, Pivot Point mentee and Leo Passage scholarship winner
4/11
 
Slider
"We made a mood board and went through magazines and picked certain words that meant 'evocative' to us." 
—Alaska Gaziolga, Pivot Point mentee and Leo Passage scholarship winner

Photo courtesy of

Jamie Newman
"Our colors reflect petrol or an oil slick. That is evocative to me." <br />—Matthew Stradling (left), Pivot Point mentee and Leo Passage scholarship winner
5/11
 
Slider
"Our colors reflect petrol or an oil slick. That is evocative to me." 
—Matthew Stradling (left), Pivot Point mentee and Leo Passage scholarship winner

Photo courtesy of

Jamie Newman
"Hair is becoming more ethnically inclusive rather than ethnically inclusive, and our collection shows that. My color story featured fabric instead of hair color itself." <br />—Reece Brown Willis, Mizani mentee
6/11
 
Slider
"Hair is becoming more ethnically inclusive rather than ethnically inclusive, and our collection shows that. My color story featured fabric instead of hair color itself." 
—Reece Brown Willis, Mizani mentee

Photo courtesy of

Jamie Newman
"It's all about mixing barbering and cosmetology and color." <br />—Nicole Gary, BaByliss Pro mentor
7/11
 
Slider
"It's all about mixing barbering and cosmetology and color." 
—Nicole Gary, BaByliss Pro mentor

Photo courtesy of

Jamie Newman
"The lean, masculine shape is what American Crew is known for, and you can see that in each of the models."<br />—Renata Hage, American Crew mentee
8/11
 
Slider
"The lean, masculine shape is what American Crew is known for, and you can see that in each of the models."
—Renata Hage, American Crew mentee

Photo courtesy of

Lauren Quick
"We focused on The Art of Prediction. With American Crew, we represent classic men's styling. So you'll see a classic pompadour, but not so refined." <br />—Jim Massey
9/11
 
Slider
"We focused on The Art of Prediction. With American Crew, we represent classic men's styling. So you'll see a classic pompadour, but not so refined." 
—Jim Massey

Photo courtesy of

Lauren Quick
"Our theme is Optical Illusion. If you look at a frozen lake, there's a reflection that mirrors on both sides. It might not be perfect, but it's the essence of that."<br />—Shane Adam Webb, Wella mentee
10/11
 
Slider
"Our theme is Optical Illusion. If you look at a frozen lake, there's a reflection that mirrors on both sides. It might not be perfect, but it's the essence of that."
—Shane Adam Webb, Wella mentee

Photo courtesy of

Jamie Newman
"The mentees all have such individual styles that when you see their nails, you can see their personalities." <br />—Winne Huang, CND mentee
11/11
 
Slider
"The mentees all have such individual styles that when you see their nails, you can see their personalities." 
—Winne Huang, CND mentee

Photo courtesy of

Jamie Newman

The Event
The fifth-annual Beauty Changes Lives (BCL) Experience, March 26 at the Art Institute of Chicago, was an inspiration-filled night. Along with a striking runway presentation from NextGen artist teams and a heartfelt tribute to an industry icon, the BCL Foundation received incredible news from 2017 Legacy Award winner Sydell Miller.

The Details
Announced during a VIP dinner honoring Miller was a generous gift from the Sydell & Arnold Miller Family Foundation to fund the development of beauty and wellness scholarships to be administered by the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation. The Millers' gift of $1,000,000 over a 10-year period will support new scholarships for cosmetology and esthetic students as well as licensed hairstylists, and expand the Miller family’s longstanding philanthropic legacy.

The Legacy Award given to the Millers recognizes icons whose careers display a commitment to professional beauty education. Past recipients include Vidal Sassoon, Tippi Hedren, Leo Passage and Howard Murad, M.D.

The Presentations
With news like that, the night was already set up for success when MODERN went behind the scenes for model prep. Teams of NextGen talent and brand mentors for American Crew, BaByliss Pro, CND, Matrix, Mizani, Pivot Point, Redken, TIGI and Wella prepped models backstage for the runway presentation themed The Art of Prediction. 

Before the presentation got underway in the modern wing of the Art Institute, attendees at the sold-out BCL Experience paused a moment to remember an industry icon gone too soon, Fabio Sementilli. Several attendees were moved to tears as they watched a video tribute of Sementilli where he he laughed, created and shared his advice for growing as an artist and our community's responsibility to foster the next generation of talented artists. 

Sementilli's words were not forgotten as the work of the NextGen artists was showcased in a vibrant runway show. After the runway presentation, attendees had the opportunity to connect with some of the most passionate and gifted artists in the industry today, including Sam Villa, Larisa Love, Jamal Edmonds, Phillip Ring and more!

To learn more about the 2017 Beauty Changes Lives Experience, sponsors and Legacy Award winners, make sure to check out the Beauty Changes Lives Experience digital edition here And to see a video recap of MODERN's interviews with industry icons and leaders answering, "What is your proudest professional moment?" click here.  

The Last Word
“We are happy to witness the growth of this annual industry event and support the Beauty Changes Lives Experience as the signature Sunday-evening event at ABS 2017,” said Paul Dykstra, CEO of America’s Beauty Show. “We are also honored to recognize and celebrate the tremendous legacy of Sydell and Arnie Miller.”

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