The world’s highest paid models of 2015

As with every year, Forbes has released a survey on the highest paid supermodels of 2015 – over half of them being current or previous Victoria’s Secret angels – and if some names don’t surprise anymore, there’s some upcoming models who have shown they really know how to start a career in the brightest way.

First place is still occupied by 35-year-old Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen, earning just slightly less than the $47 million in 2014 and banking $44 million this year – still standing a mile in front of her younger colleagues. Despite her retirement from the catwalk, Gisele is still earing a lot from starring in campaigns including Chanel, Emilio Pucci and Balenciaga, and designing her own collections of sandals and lingerie for other brands.

In second place, with $9 million, is of course the social media star and model-turned-actress Cara Delevingne, who seems to have consistently leveled up her earnings. The model has been working on campaigns for 13 different brands; some prestigious fashion houses like Burberry, Tom Ford and Topshop. She gained a beauty contract with YSL and if all of these money-making fashion contracts weren’t enough, she also made the big jump into the movie industry, starring in London Fields, Suicide Squad and Paper Towns.

Adriana Lima, Victoria’s Secret longest-running angel, ties in second place with Cara and they are followed by other big names like Natalia Vodianova, Miranda Kerr, Joan Smalls, Lara Stones, Alessandra Ambrosio, Karlie Kloss, Kate Moss – with just $4.5 million this year – Liu Wen and Daria Werbowy.

With $4 million we find a newcomer to the Forbes list, but with a hugely known family name preceding her fame: Kendall Jenner. This year, Kendall has signed profitable contracts with Estee Lauder and Calvin Klein, starred in Fendi, Marc Jacobs and Karl Lagerfeld eyewear campaigns and even the Balmain AW15 one, along with Kylie Jenner and the Hadid sisters.

Much of her earnings is also due to the fact Kendall’s presence is very consistent on social media and she has mastered the art of self-branding, making all of her campaigns have a huge resonance and everything she’s featured in automatically “selling”.  

The survey continues with Hilary Rhoda, newcomers Kate Upton, Jourdan Dunn and Anja Rubik who only joined the ranking for the first time last year, and Edita Vilkeviciute, who joins the list for the first time, thanks to her contracts with Roberto Cavalli, Viktor & Rolf, Calvin Klein and H&M.

Francesca Milano