‘DNA Is Wild’: Meet Linda Evangelista’s 18-Year-Old Son She Raised Out of the Spotlight

Despite her worldwide fame, Linda Evangelista raised her son away from the spotlight, choosing privacy over publicity. For years, she only offered rare glimpses of him on social media. Now 18, Augustin is stepping into view, with social media users calling him his mother’s twin due to their uncanny resemblance.

Take a closer look at his life, including his relationship with his award-winning actress stepmom, and his bond with his mother, which was tested when Linda went through a traumatic cosmetic procedure.

Linda Evangelista — Supermodel, Icon, and Mother

Linda was a true icon of the 1990s, reigning as one of the original supermodels who redefined the fashion industry. Born in Canada, she embarked on a modeling career that took her from small-town beginnings to the forefront of haute couture.

However, despite the intense focus on her career, Linda’s personal life held deeper meaning for her, especially when she embraced motherhood. At 22, she married Gérald Marie, head of her Paris modeling agency, though their union ultimately ended.

Later, she found love with actor Kyle MacLachlan, with whom she shared a close relationship. However, it was in 2006 that she welcomed her only child, a son named Augustin, or Augie as she affectionately called him.

Though Linda initially kept her son’s paternity private, it was later revealed that French businessman François-Henri Pinault was his father. The supermodel cherished her role as a mother, sharing, “Motherhood is my whole life now. It’s the best. I am so fulfilled.”

As she adapted to life with her son, Linda embraced a simpler lifestyle, away from the glitz of her supermodel days. “Let’s just say I have a child who doesn’t like fashion. He wants jerseys. We watch sports and go to games. I do boy things now,” she lightheartedly revealed.

Meet the Fashion Icon’s Son

Over the years, Linda has shared glimpses of her son on social media, revealing just how close they were and giving fans a peek into her world as a mother. In 2021, she shared a heartfelt snap of Augustin playing in the sand on a beach, calling him “the light of my life.”

The following year, she celebrated his 16th birthday with a series of photos, including some from his early years and touching moments between the two of them.

By 2023, Linda repeated the tradition of dedicating a sweet post to her son for his 17th birthday, adding a note about how “grateful” she felt to have him in her life.

When Augustin turned 18 in 2024, the former supermodel posted another series of photos showcasing her son’s growth through the years.

“DNA is wild!” one social media user commented. Another shared, “​​What a beautiful son 😍 He’s your twin.” A third wrote, “Genetics is a funny thing.” A fourth person added, “Those eyes, we know where they come from.”

Following his parents’ relationship, Augustin’s father married actress Salma Hayek, making the Mexican star Augustin’s stepmother. Linda spoke about their blended family with genuine warmth, recalling one Thanksgiving when she fell ill.

Salma flew out with her daughter to spend the holiday with them. “She asked what I wanted […]. I wanted her Mexican chicken with truffled potatoes. And she spent the day in the kitchen and cooked it herself. No help. The kids helped her at the end. She made a feast — a beautiful, beautiful meal,” Linda shared.

The actress, in turn, has embraced her role in the family with deep appreciation, saying, “I always wanted to have a lot of children, and I was not able to. My body, as a miracle, had one. The huge blessing I’ve had is that my husband has three other children. So I have four. And they are all so different.”

Their blended family even shared a rare public moment when Linda and Augustin posed alongside Salma at a red carpet event, showing their unity.

“Linda’s son looks so intelligent and handsome… I’m sure she did a great job to raise him,” one social media user commented on the blended family’s rare public outing. Another typed, “Well isn’t he a lucky boy.”

Amidst her focus on family, Linda endured a challenging ordeal. In 2015, she sought out CoolSculpting, a fat-freezing procedure, hoping it would help her maintain her appearance. Instead, the former supermodel faced unexpected side effects that left her physically and emotionally scarred.

Within months, she began to notice painful, hardened bulges forming in areas she had hoped to slim. Her diagnosis — paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH), a rare reaction causing fat tissue to thicken and grow instead of shrinking — changed her life.

“I loved being up on the catwalk. Now I dread running into someone I know,” she shared in an emotional interview. In 2021, the former supermodel broke her silence on her harrowing experience with a brave post on Instagram, revealing that she had been left “brutally disfigured” and “permanently deformed.”

After undergoing seven sessions, Linda filed a $50 million lawsuit against CoolSculpting’s parent company, claiming that the procedure left her unable to work in the industry she once adored.

The experience deeply affected her confidence and self-image. “Why do we feel the need to do these things [to our bodies]? I always knew I would age. And I know that there are things a body goes through. But I just didn’t think I would look like this,” she shared.

The former supermodel admitted the botched procedure also impacted her relationship with Augustin, who noticed his mom retreat into isolation.

“[Augie] used to say, ‘Mommy, do you remember when you used to be fun? Remember when you used to laugh all the time? How come you don’t laugh anymore?’ I hate what this has done to my relationship with him,” Linda shared.

She also revealed that she had not initially told Augustin about her struggles with PAH, fearing it would burden him. “I should not be a burden to my child,” she said, emphasizing her belief that children should not bear adult responsibilities.

However, she finally opened up to him. “I told [Augie] he might be hearing some things, and he said he didn’t care, that he’s there for me,” she said. Linda candidly admitted that while she instilled in Augustin that true beauty transcends outward appearances, she struggled to accept that about herself.

“It is very important for me to raise him knowing that he is beautiful and knowing that everyone is beautiful. It’s so messed up that I truly believe that except it doesn’t pertain to me,” she shared.

Although Linda Evangelista rose to fame as a supermodel, she found true fulfillment after becoming a mother. Despite the impact her fat-freezing ordeal had on their relationship, her posts make one thing clear — she and Augustin share an unbreakable bond.