Apparently the bulk of the money I spend at Victoria’s Secret goes to pay their models. At least that is what I have surmised from glancing at Forbes.com’s list of the world’s richest models.
The top grossing catwalker rakes in a cool $33 million a year. That honor goes to Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen. Leo’s ex (and Tom Brady’s current flame… at least until Friday) blows away her leggy competition when it comes to making money.
Frankly, I was a bit shocked by the fact that Bundchen made more than Kate Moss (who came in at No.2) and Heidi Klum (who is third on the list). The 26-year-old outspoken model parted ways with Victoria’s Secret in May so we’ll have to see how that affects her income at the end of the year. It may not make much difference considering Bundchen (according to Forbes) “has more contracts than any other model on the planet.”
As for Moss, Forbes says she earned $9 million last year thanks in large part to her recently launched clothing line at British fashion retailer Topshop. In addition, the 33-year-old fashionista is the new face of Stella McCartney’s new clothing line and works for Italian sportswear company Belstaff.
“Project Runway” host Klum reportedly earned $8 million last year. She still has a contract with Victoria’s Secret and continues to host her popular reality TV show.
Rounding out the Top 5 were two other Victoria’s Secret models: Adriana Lima and Alessandra Ambrosio. Each made $6 million.
They were followed by Carolyn Murphy ($5 million); Natalia Vodianova ($4.5 million); Karolina Kurkova and Daria Werbowy (both $3.5 million); Gemma Ward ($3 million); Liya Kebede ($2.5 million); Hilary Rhoda and Shalom Harlow (both $2 million); and Doutzen Kroes and Jessica Stam (both $1.5 million).
According to Forbes, the models were also ranked by their “relevancy” – determined by recent campaigns, fashion magazine covers and opinions of those in the fashion industry.
So I guess we shouldn’t hate them because they are beautiful… we should dislike them because they are all millionaires.