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Who tops the list this year?
- Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid rule today’s runways, but Victoria’s Secret Angels were highly paid back in the day, with Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Gisele Bündchen and Heidi Klum making millions
It may be younger newbies like Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid who are currently earning big bucks as the world’s highest-paid models, but runway legends from the past remain the richest.
So, who are the world’s wealthiest runway queens in 2023? Here’s how these gorgeous ladies stack up this year, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
9 and 10. Naomi Campbell, 53, and Alessandra Ambrosio, 42 – US$80 million
During her 17 years as a Victoria’s Secret Angel (2000-2017), Brazilian Alessandra Ambrosio quickly became a household name across the globe, bagging campaigns for the likes of Ralph Lauren, Christian Dior and Armani.
After retiring from modelling, she became a regular on the reality TV circuit, appearing on shows like America’s Next Top Model, Project Runway and MasterChef. In 2019, Ambrosio launched beachwear brand Gal Floripa with her sister Aline and long-time friend, Gisele Cória.
Sharing the ninth and 10th spot with Ambrosio is none other than Naomi Campbell – one of the most celebrated models in the business, but also one of the most controversial. After being discovered at the age of 15, Campbell’s career went from zero to a hundred overnight, landing the cover of British Elle before she even turned 16.
Since then, she’s done it all – from writing a novel to acting and producing, but it’s often been her temper and legal issues that have kept her in the spotlight. Fortunately, despite all the fines and lawyers’ fees she’s had to settle in the past, she’s still worth an impressive US$80 million.
8. Tyra Banks, 50 – US$90 million
Repeatedly ranked among the world’s most influential people by Time magazine, Banks was one of the top models of the 1990s, walking for the likes of Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, Valentino, Christian Dior and Oscar de la Renta, to name a few.
But it’s her transition into TV that took her career to new heights, including 23 seasons as the creator, producer and host of America’s Next Top Model.
These days, Banks is venturing into property, adding even more millions to her net worth by flipping houses in California.
6 & 7. Adriana Lima, 42, and Elle Macpherson, 59 – US$95 million
Coming in at a combined sixth and seventh spots are two of the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest model exports – Brazil’s Adriana Lima and Australia’s Elle Macpherson. Lima, best known for being the longest-running Victoria’s Secret Angel between 2000-2018, was a spokesmodel for Maybelline cosmetics and has appeared in campaigns for the likes of Vera Wang, Guess, Giorgio Armani and Versace. She reunited with Victoria’s Secret for its new fragrance campaign earlier this year.
After being one of the top models of the 1980s, Macpherson became a savvy businesswoman and launched products like “Your Personal Best – The Body” workout videos, Elle Macpherson Intimates lingerie collection, a line of maternity bras, beauty products and e-commerce wellness company, WelleCo.
5. Christie Brinkley, 69 – US$100 million
One of the highest-paid supermodels of the 1970s and 80s, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model is still a force to be reckoned with. After signing a record-breaking 25-year contract with CoverGirl, Brinkley also joined forces with brands like Revlon, Max Factor, Diet Coke, Nissan and Chanel.
But it’s not her modelling career or marriage to Billy Joel that made Brinkley wealthy. It’s her vast property portfolio, mostly in the Hamptons, that’s bumped her up the list. In 2017 alone, she put US$50 million worth of Hamptons property on the market.
4. Heidi Klum, 50 – US$160 million
After appearing on the covers of fashion magazines around the world during the early noughties, Klum became the first German Victoria’s Secret Angel – a gig that saw the supermodel work with the lingerie company for 13 years.
Thanks to her bubbly personality, the age-defying model also made millions as a TV star, hosting popular reality shows like Project Runway, Germany’s Next Top Model and America’s Got Talent. In an epic career shift, the former model-turned-TV host has since racked up 23 Emmy nominations, even winning one.
3. Iman, 68 – US$200 million
Since making her first Vogue appearance in 1976, Somalian model Iman fast became a fixture on the runways of the 70s and 80s. Serving as a muse to legendary designers like Gianni Versace, Yves Saint Laurent and Thierry Mugler, Iman later expanded her brand launching Iman Cosmetics in 1994.
However, it’s her inheritance from late husband David Bowie that took her net worth to new heights. The singer left his model wife US$100 million in his will at the time of his death, according to The Guardian.
1 and 2. Gisele Bündchen, 43, and Cindy Crawford, 57 – US$400 million
At first and second place are Gisele Bündchen and Cindy Crawford, each worth around US$400 million. Both icons of the runway, the two narrowly avoided each during the eras where they reigned supreme. While Crawford dominated the scene in the late 80s and 90s, Bündchen became the runway’s “It” girl in the 2000s and 2010s.
Crawford officially retired from modelling in 2000, but she quickly found success as a savvy businesswoman launching a variety of homeware products, including the Cindy Crawford Home Collection furniture line, the Cindy Crawford Style home goods line for JCPenney, and Cindy Crawford Home with Raymour & Flanigan. In 2004, she created anti-ageing skincare line Meaningful Beauty, and by 2021 she launched Meaningful Beauty hair care.
After Crawford’s retirement, Bündchen rose to the top of the game as the highest-paid model in the world, per Forbes. By 2016, she still held top position for the 14th year in a row earning US$30.5 million, beating younger models like Bella Hadid and Jenner at the time. Bündchen’s immense fortune was also helped along the way thanks to multimillion-dollar contracts with the likes of Pantene, Victoria’s Secret, Chanel and Carolina Herrera.
Fun fact: at US$400 million, Bündchen is around US$100 million wealthier than her football icon ex-husband, Tom Brady.