Agency: IMG
Age: 34
Measurements: Carolyn Murphy sneaks onto this list courtesy of her clean-cut American aesthetic and commercial marketability. While not a runway presence or high-concept fashion icon, she has established herself as the face of retail, from Banana Republic to Lord & Taylor. A regular in Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue, Murphy has bankability with the male crowd, and her lucrative contract with Estée Lauder gives her an incredible platform with women and within the beauty industry. Murphy earned an estimated $3 million in the last year. As one agent says, “Valuable models have a look that the customer can identify with.” And that’s Murphy.
Agency: IMG
Age: 26
Measurements: Kerr became a leading commercial model after a Maybelline contract put her face in nearly every women’s magazine in America. While she’s continued that success with her current tenure as a Victoria’s Secret Angel and the face of XOXO, she’s also shown versatility recently due to an appearance on the runway of high-fashion brand Balenciaga. She’s well-known in her native Australia, and even landed on the cover of Australian
Rolling Stone in July, but according to one industry insider, her status and salary is attributed to the fact that, “middle America knows who this girl is.” The recognizable model earns about $3 million a year.
Agency: DNA Model Management
Age: 27
Measurements: Natalia is a household name—in the most luxurious houses. “The general public has never really known her,” says one agent, “but she hangs out in the most prestigious, high-fashion circles in the world.” She opened the Spring 2010 Stella McCartney runway presentation, bears a contract with lingerie company Etam, and is the face of the Calvin Klein fragrance Euphoria. A darling of fashion editors, she appeared on five covers of the magazines titles we looked at in the last 12 months, including American Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar UK, and French Elle. Vodianova earned about $5 million over the
last year.
Agency: Ford
Age: 40
Measurements: Renowned runway photographer Chris Moore once called her the ultimate catwalk model, but that was when the first generation of supermodels commanded $50,000 per show salaries. Turlington is experiencing something of a commercial revival; she took years off from modeling, attending NYU and Columbia, developing a yoga apparel line with Puma and becoming an ambassador for CARE, but has returned in campaigns for Yves Saint Laurent and Bally. Because of her established fame, she’s has a strong commercial presence and currently has a contract with Maybelline. Another indication of her fame and value: Publishers still depend on her to sell at the newsstand. She logged cover time on American Vogue and W.
Agency: Elite Model Management
Age: 28
Measurements: A Brazilian beauty, Alessandra’s look defines bombshell. “She’s sexy,” says her agent. “She’s the archetype for that kind of model.” She has modeled for Victoria’s Secret for more than five years and served as spokesmodel for its PINK line of pajamas. Ambrosio now earns an estimated $6 million a year. In the last year, she has expanded her commercial success to include work for the Brazilian retail chain C&A, a campaign that belonged to Gisele in 2001, and Mexican brand Liverpool.
Agency: IMG
Age: 25
Measurements: In name, Daria’s not known to most of the public, but she’s the familiar face of Lancôme. “We wanted to have a very powerful, modern woman,” Vincent Brun, marketing director for Lancôme fragrance, explained in 2005. “Daria is glamorous, not scary.” She snagged campaigns for H&M and Roberto Cavalli this year. The Daily Beast figures that Werbowy will earn between $4 million and $5 million this year. She opened and closed the Spring 2010 Balmain runway show and appears in the brand’s current campaign. And she’s a magazine favorite, appearing on five of the top fashion covers in the last 12 months, second only to Kate Moss. Especially Vogue; she fronted the editions in France, the U.K., Russia and Japan.
Agency: DNA Model Management
Age: 24
Measurements: The Dutch model known for her pout was inducted into the Victoria’s Secret Angels last year. Before becoming an Angel, she was known as a prominent member of the company’s campaigns and an ascendant supermodel thanks to high-profile advertisements for Dolce & Gabbana, Versace and a beauty contract with L’Oreal. She has a lucrative fragrance campaign with Calvin Klein Eternity and a jeans campaign with 7 For All Mankind. Kroes earned a reported $6 million in the last year.
Agency: Marilyn Model Management
Age: 28
Measurements: Her relationship with Victoria’s Secret is now approaching a decade in length. As one of the company’s famed Angels, she walks in the annual runway show and appears larger than life in store posters and in the catalogs. But, Lima’s value is bolstered by her crossover capability. Lima earned an estimated $8 million over the 12 months. “Lima’s great,” says a competitor’s agent. “She can do commercial work and she can do high fashion.” Very high: Lima is almost unrecognizable in the fall campaign for Givenchy.
Agency: IMG
Age: 35
Measurements: More than 15 years after she appeared in her skivvies for Calvin Klein, introducing the world to waif chic, Moss remains a mainstay. She landed on the cover of six of the glossy rags we considered over the last year—more than any other model on our list. And she earns millions from advertising; She has a significant beauty contract with Rimmel, and served this year at the face for Longchamp, David Yurman, and Stella McCartney. Moss earned a reported $8.5 million in the year ending June 2009. Moss is more than a model, though. She’s a brand. For two years, she’s had her own line at Topshop, the surging British clothing retailer, and this fall debuted her third scent, Vintage. Makeup and hair-care lines are reportedly in the works. According to an agent in New York, “she’s a role model for the rest of the models. She has really evolved.”
Agency: IMG
Age: 29
Measurements: Though currently sporting a baby bump, Gisele has one of the most diverse and financially rewarding careers in the business. The simple reason, says one top agent, “She’s the most well-known model in the world.” She no longer walks the runway and her Victoria’s Secret wings were clipped in 2007, but her career continues thanks to a litany of campaigns. Outpacing any other model on the list in terms of the number of brands she endorses, she appears as the face of Ebel watches, Dior, Versace, and Rampage in the U.S. and a slew of others in South America and Europe. She also signed a reported $2.5 million, two-year contract with Max Factor last year. She also has a role on the other side of fashion, as an entrepreneur with her own line of sandals, Ipanema Gisele Bündchen, sold by the Brazilian shoe giant Grendene. Her estimate total earnings: $25 million. Her marriage to NFL quarterback Tom Brady had made her fodder for tabloid coverage and a Vanity Fair cover story in April, raising her profile yet another echelon.
