Ivan Bart was a former president of IMG Models, a modeling agency that helped launch the careers of many famous models such as Gigi and Bella Hadid, Carolyn Murphy, Stephanie Seymour and Lauren Hutton.
He was a trailblazer in the fashion industry and a beloved figure in fashion and modeling.
Bart was named president of IMG Models in 2014, after it merged with WME, and under his leadership, IMG Models built the careers of many models such as Hailey Bieber, Alton Mason and Wisdom Kaye.
In March, he left his post as president to serve as a senior adviser.
Many celebrities and people in the fashion industry paid tribute to him on social media, including Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Ashley Graham and Rachel Zoe.
Ivan Bart cause of death
The former president of IMG Models passed away on Friday, October 27, 2023, at the age of 60 after a short illness.
Many people from the fashion industry paid their respects and shared their condolences on his Instagram page, highlighting his significant impact on the modeling world.
Ivan Bart’s background in the fashion industry
Bart was a prominent figure in the fashion industry, known for his pioneering work in promoting diversity and inclusivity in the modeling industry.
He was the former president of IMG Models, where he guided the agency to represent such success stories as Kate Moss.
Prior to IMG, Bart was at a total of eight modeling agencies, including Ford Models, where he worked with some of the most sought-after models at the time, including Carolyn Murphy and Stephanie Seymour.
He believed that his success and IMG’s success were due to “the infrastructure at IMG we just have all of these resources that other agencies don’t have, we were able to create bigger models and manage them correctly. And that’s all we did”.
Bart’s legacy will be remembered for his dedication to inclusivity and his efforts to make the fashion industry more diverse.
Ivan Bart career
Bart is a prominent figure in the fashion and modeling industry, known for his innovative and visionary approach to the business.
He initially studied psychology at a state university in upstate New York, which he believes has helped him in the fashion industry, where analyzing people’s motivations and desires is crucial.
Bart started his career in the fashion industry as an assistant at PR firm Grossich and Partners, where he quickly made an impression by cold-calling a CEO and securing a meeting that led to a promotion.
Before joining IMG Models, he worked at a total of eight modeling agencies, including ICE, which he credits as the company where he learned the most and established his career.
He also gained valuable experience at Wilhelmina and Ford modeling agencies.
In 1994, Bart joined IMG Models as a creative director, and in 2012, he was named the president of the agency.
His approach to managing models and creating a supportive infrastructure for their success was a key factor in IMG’s growth and influence in the industry.
In May 2018, Bart was appointed to head up IMG’s global fashion events business, in addition to his responsibilities as president of IMG Models.
In this role, he oversaw events such as New York Fashion Week and London Fashion Week, further solidifying IMG’s position as a leader in the fashion industry.
Bart’s impact on the modeling industry has been widely recognized.
He has been praised for his efforts to expand the notion of who can be a model by supporting the careers of transgender models such as Hari Nef.
In 2014, he played a significant role in the WME acquisition of IMG, a deal exceeding $2 billion.
Bart’s exact net worth is undisclosed, but his extensive career in the modeling industry is believed to have translated into a substantial fortune.
In March 2023, Bart stepped down from his role as president of IMG Models and took on a new position as a senior advisor at the agency.
