Saturday July 4, 2009
Forbes’ top earning models
Gisele Bundchen – US$35mil
This 27-year-old (newly wed to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady) continues to bag new contracts even though she is no longer the face of Victoria’s Secret since end 2007. Her face graces ads for Disney, Nivea, Vogue eyewear and Aquascutum, the UK-based luxury line. Her line of sandals —Ipanema by Gisele — net her US$6mil a year. Her romance with Brady kept her in the limelight in 2008 and she was even blamed for the Patriots’ loss to the Giants!
Her earnings of US$35mil more than double those of Heidi Klum who comes second in the list.
Heidi Klum – US$14mil
This German übermodel and a mother of three is married to singer Seal. She has renewed her Victoria’s Secret contract and heads (as host and executive director) the hit reality fashion show Project Runway and Germany’s version of America’s Next Top Model. The 34-year-old also designs Mouawad jewelry and a line of Jordache jeans. New deals with Diet Coke, McDonald’s, Volkswagen, haircare giant Schwarzkopf and Fontanis water takes up quite a bit of her time. She also came out with her own line of make-up and skincare, capitalising on her popularity.
Kate Moss – US$7.5mil
This 34-year-old waif lost some of her contracts due to her cocaine scandal in 2007. Contracts ended included Burberry, Stella McCarthney, Dior and Versace. But her fashion line with British Topshop carried in 29 countries keeps her bank account healthy and thriving. Other clients include Roberto Cavalli, Rimmel, YSL, Donna Karan and Longchamp. Her on-and-off relationship with rocker Pete Doherty keeps her in the tabloids.
Adriana Lima – US$7mil
This 27-year-old Brazilian blue-eyed beauty, discovered when she won the Brazil Ford Super Model of The Year Search contest at a young age of 15, lost her Italian Telecom Italia contract but holds on to her bread-and-butter Victoria’s Secret and Maybelline contracts which are re-negotiated on a multiyear basis. Her website drew record-hitting hits and her sexy Valentines’s Day Victoria Secret Superbowl advertisement was a sensation in the US.
Doutzen Kroes – US$6mil
The 23-year-old honey of Holland made the largest leap in this year’s list, thanks to a new contract with CK and Victoria’s Secret. Last year, she rose through the pages of Vogue, where she’s been featured in three issues. This Dutch model catwalks into the Top 5 being the newest Victoria Secret’s model this year. She is also the face of De Beers for diamonds. She was named Model of The Year by Vogue.com and is now considered to be one of the new crop of supermodels together with Hilary Rhoda and Jesssica Stam.
Karolina Kurkova – US$5mil
She is Victoria Secret’s highest-paying model. She started early at 15 by appearing in Vogue. She also appears in ads for Dell and Mexico-based department store giant, Liverpool. In November 2008, E! Entertainment Television voted her the world’s sexiest woman, beating the likes of Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson, Gisele Bundchen, and her fellow Angels Heidi Klum and Adriana Lima. All these achievements, and she is only 23!
Natalia Vodianova – US$4.8mil
A Russian native and a mother of three, Vodianova is the exclusive face of CK fragrance. She also picked up deals with other brands like Chanel, Guerlain and Versace.
Carolyn Murphy – US$4.5mil
If you have been going to department stores, you will not miss the face of this 32-year-old porcelain beauty. She is the face for Estee Lauder’s skincare and fragrance line. A native of Florida, Murphy never expected to be one of the modelling world’s brightest stars. She was encouraged by her mother to enroll in modelling school. She was discovered by an agent at 17 and later moved to New York and Paris. Murphy has worked with many great photographers like Mario Testino and Steven Meisel. She also adorns ads for Tiffany & Co, Missoni, Anne Klein and Jantzen Swimwear.
Daria Werbowy – US$3.8mil
This 24-year-old striking brunette rotates ad campaigns for Louis Vuitton, Versace, Roberto Cavalli, Chanel and Valentino.
Miranda Kerr – US$3.5mil
She is a late bloomer, breaking into Victoria’s Secret campaign only at 23. However, expect her to remain in angel wings for a while as she has just renegotiated her contract. She is also the face of department store David Jones and is currently the main squeeze of hunky actor Orlando Bloom. Not bad for an Aussie who moved to United States barely two years ago.
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