According to Simply Hired, the average runway model earns $53,000 a year. That is not a bad salary in the slightest, but there are some women who are just killing it on the runway and as brand models. These women are bringing in the millions of dollars each year.
When I first started looking into modeling, I thought it was an easy job. You just have to stand there and look good, right? I could not have been further from the truth. Modeling is a business and the women who are succeeding at it are treating their work in the utmost professional manner. They work hard, long hours in all weather conditions. They are on their feet for hours at a time, and they are doing it in super high heels.
Most of the top models are also into charity work, proving that they are beyond themselves and their looks, and they care about the world around them. They bring attention to troubling issues in the world or in the country they grew up in. They dedicate their time and their own money to making the lives of other people better.
While models often get bad press attention, they are like the rest of us. They work, provide support to the best of their abilities, and put on a smile even when they just aren't feeling it.
15 Kendall Jenner
If you don’t know who Kendall Jenner is, you have probably been living under a rock. Daughter of Kris and Caitlyn Jenner, she first showed up on our television screens in Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Considered a social media model by Harper’s Bazaar, Jenner is a newcomer to runway modeling. In 2015, she earned a whopping $4 million from modeling and shows no signs of slowing down in the near future. She currently has over 50 million followers on Instagram.
14 Miranda Kerr
Australian model Miranda Kerr made a whopping $5.5 million in 2015. With over four million Twitter followers and over eight million Instagram followers, Kerr is a wildly popular model. Constantly in the news, she revealed her beauty secrets to Harpers Bazaar in January 2016, admitting that she cannot resist the urge to pop pimples whether they are her own or on a friend or family member. For good deeds, she is an ambassador for The Royal Hospital for Women and helps raise funds for lifesaving equipment for the hospital.
13 Anja Rubik
A stunning Polish model, Anja Rubik earned $3.5 million from her modeling career in 2015. One of the top models in the world, Rubik was ranked number three out of 50 top women models by Money Girls in 2010. In 2014, she became the host and judge for Poland’s version of Project Runway. Interestingly enough, she has herself listed as the editor in chief of 25 Magazine on her Instagram account. She is also the founder of the magazine which began in 2012.
12 Cara Delevingne
An incredible leo with an immense and growing online following, Cara Devingne only became a top earning model in 2014 and earned an incredible $9 million in 2015. Both an English model and an actress, she signed up for a model agency in 2009 and has since been growing in popularity. It took over a year before she got her first paying modeling gig. When it comes to success, she says, “You have this one life. How do you wanna spend it? Apologizing? Regretting? Questioning? Hating yourself? Dieting? Running after people who don’t see you? Be brave. Believe in yourself. Do what feels good. Take risks. You have this one life. Make yourself proud.” Cara Delevingne spends her free time killing it on Instagram with 26.9 million followers.
11 Liu Wen
Liu Wen is a stunning Chinese supermodel who is really starting to come into her own. In 2015, her modeling earned her $4.5 million. She has done fashion campaigns for Calvin Klein, Alexander Wang, Dolce & Gabbana and numerous others. In 2009 she was in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show which made her the first woman of Chinese descent to walk the runway for them. In 2014 she became the first person to be picture wearing an Apple watch on the cover of a magazine. She has an amazing 1.5 million followers on Instagram.
10 Doutzen Kroes
A stunning Dutch Frisian model and actress, Doutzen Kroes began her modeling career in 2003 and has been climbing the ranks to elite supermodel ever since. In 2015, she earned $7.5 million. She has been a Victoria’s Secret Angel and a brand ambassador for L’Oreal. She has also appeared on the front cover of numerous top magazines, including Time, ELLE, Seventeen, and Vogue. She is involved in Dance4Life, a non-profit organization that educates young people about HIV and AIDs through dance and music.
9 Alessandra Ambrosio
Brazilian model and actress, Alessandra Ambrosio made $5 million in 2015. She has modeled for Ralph Lauren, Christian Dior, and Armani Exchange. She is currently a Victoria's Secret Angel. Ambrosio has made numerous television appearances and was a guest star on How I Met Your Mother. She will also make an appearance in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2. Her Instagram account has over five million followers.
8 Daria Werbowy
Ukrainian Canadian model, Daria Werbowy, earned $4.5 million in 2015. Born in Poland, but a citizen in both Canada and the Ukraine, Werbowy is an avid sailor and takes time off from her modeling career to sail the open seas. According to her, "Sailing is the closest I can get to nature - it's adrenaline, fear, a constant challenge and learning experience, an adventure into the unknown. And of course there is nothing better than wearing the same T-shirt for days and not brushing my hair for weeks." She got into modeling as a way to help pay for her art school education. Soon after, she got an exclusive deal with Prada and has since been working her way up the ranks to top notch model.
7 Kate Upton
American model and actress Kate Upton is very active on social media with 3 million followers on her Instagram account and 2.21 million followers on her Twitter account. Having made $3.5 million from modeling in 2015, she has appeared in the comedy The Other Woman and she will be in two other movies that will be released in 2016. About her career, she’s stated that, “I always had career goals. And I figured out a path I wanted to take to accomplish those goals. If that meant calling the best modeling agency in the world, thats what it meant.”
6 Carolyn Murphy
American supermodel, Carolyn Murphy, earned $4.5 million in 2015. Born on August 11, 1974, this lioness is not only aging beautifully, she is also very well liked. She appeared on Project Runway All Stars in 2012. As to how she keeps up her good looks, she said, "The best anti-aging advice I've ever received? Drink a lot of water and have a plant-based diet. I also do mindful meditation with my daughter every day. It takes ten minutes. I think reducing stress plays a big part in anti-aging."
5 Candice Swanepoel
South African supermodel, Candice Swanepoel made $5 million for her modeling work in 2015. She is best known for her work as a Victoria's Secret Angel. She has also walked the runway for top names, such as Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, and Christian Dior. In 2014, she made #1 on Maxim's "Hot 100 List". When it comes to charities, Swanepoel is involved with Mother2Mother, a charity that is working to stop the spread of HIV in Africa. Her Instagram account boasts an incredible eight million followers.
4 Hilary Rhoda
American model Hilary Rhoda has appeared in the 2009, 2010, and 2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition issues. She has also been the face for Estee Lauder and has appeared in Abercrombie and in Hollister ads. In 2015, she made an incredible $3.5 million from modeling. Her husband is Sean Avery, a former professional hockey player. She is pretty active on her Twitter account with nearly a half million followers.
3 Adriana Lima
A Victoria’s Secret Angel and a model for top names, such as Maybelline and Vogue Eyewear, Brazilian beauty Adriana Lima made an incredible $9 in 2015 and is the second highest earning model, along with Cara Delevingne, for that year. Lima has appeared on the covers of numerous top magazines including ELLE, Vogue, Esquire, and Harpers Bazaar. In 2011, she came under criticism for her pre-Victoria's Secret Fashion Show diet in which she would drink only protein drinks during the nine days before the show. She would avoid drinking liquids to help lose the water weight during the 12 hours before the show. Defending herself, she told E! that, “It's not that I do crazy diets throughout the year. I just do it for this particular thing. After this show, I become normal again.”
2 Kate Moss
Everyone has heard of Kate Moss. This model and actress made $4.5 million in 2015. She appeared in an episode of Absolutely Fabulous (Sport Relief Special) in 2012 and will be in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie. The English model was born in January 16, 1974, making her yet another high earning model in her 40s. On being beautiful, she said, "It sounds really corny but I think that if you’re beautiful inside it shows on the outside, for sure."
1 Gisele Bundchen
When you got it, you got it, and Gisele Bundchen has it all. Although it is reported that she is now retired from the runway, Forbes lists Gisele Bundchen as the top earning model of 2015, with earnings at $44 million. That is slightly down from the $47 million she made in 2014. A Brazilian fashion model, a former Victoria’s Secret Angel, and sometimes actress, Bundchen supports charities, such as Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross. She is also the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme, She has earned more than $430 million from her modeling career.
Sources: simplyhired.com, forbes.com, people.com, dailymail.co.uk
