Gisele Bundchen No 1 - The World´s Highest Paid Model - $45 million

Gisele Bundchen No 1 - The World´s Highest Paid Model - $45 million, a photo by Biilboard Hot 100 on Flickr.

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The World's Highest Paid Models
thefireboys.blogspot.com/2012/04/gisele-bundchen-2012-gis...

No. 1 - Gisele Bundchen ( Brazilian Model )
www.giselebundchen.com/
$45 million
Earnings from May 2011-May 2012
Agency: IMG Models
No. 1 - Gisele Bündchen
Even in her early thirties, Gisele Bundchen remains an unparalleled force within the fashion world. As the world's most powerful supermodel, she racks up modeling gigs, endorsement deals, and independent licensing ventures, but still has time to be a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environmental Program. Bundchen's marriage to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady also writes headlines; after the 2012 Super Bowl, she landed in hot water over critical marks she made about the lackluster performance of Brady's receivers. The veritable endorsement queen, especially in her native Brazil, shills for brands such as Pantene, Esprit, and Versace, and makes a percentage of profits on Ipanema flip-flops and other products bearing her name.

No. 2 - Kate Moss
$9.2 million
Earnings from May 2011-May 2012
Agency: IMG Models
No. 2 - Kate Moss
Onetime bad girl, supermodel Kate Moss doesn't let marriage slow her down. She married longtime boyfriend Jaime Hince in July 2011, but kept up her high-flying modeling ways. Moss remains one of fashion's biggest icons, with big endorsement deals with Longchamp, Mango, Rimmel, and Vogue Eyewear. She also has a lucrative design deal with TopShop going back to 2007.

No. 3 - Natalia Vodianova
$8.6 million
Earnings from May 2011-May 2012
Agency: DNA Models
No. 3 - Natalia Vodianova
Fragrance campaigns with Guerlain and Calvin Klein Euphoria have boosted Natalia Vodianova's earnings into the highest echelons of modeling. She also designs lingerie collections for Etam and shoes for Centro. The 30-year-old Vodianova was born in Nizhny Novgorod in the Soviet Union. She is an ambassador of the Sochi 2014 Winter Games and founded the Naked Heart Foundation, which builds playgrounds in downtrodden urban areas in Russia. Vodianova, who lives in the UK, has three children with husband Justin Portman, but they are currently separated.

No. 4 - Adriana Lima
$7.3 million
Earnings from May 2011-May 2012
Agency: Marilyn New York
No. 4 - Adriana Lima
Adriana Lima made a big splash in early 2012 when she appeared in two Super Bowl commercials, one for Kia and another, more seductive spot for Teleflora. Lima is primarily known as a Victoria's Secret Angel, which she became in 2000. That deal still makes up most of her earnings, although she also models for, among others, Donna Karan and Mavi Jeans. The devout Catholic announced in March 2012 that she is expecting her second child with her husband, Serbian basketball player Marko Jaric.

No. 5 - Doutzen Kroes
$6.9 million
Earnings from May 2011-May 2012
Agency: DNA Models
No. 5 - Doutzen Kroes
27-year-old Doutzen Kroes is a powerhouse in the modeling world based largely on her work as one of the Victoria's Secret Angels. She also works for L'Oreal and Tiffany & Co. Born in the Netherlands, Kroes now has a wax statue in Madame Tussauds Amersterdam. Her passion as a kid was speed skating. Kroes gave birth to her first child in January 2011.

No. 6 - Alessandra Ambrosio
$6.6 million
Earnings from May 2011-May 2012
Agency: DNA Models
No. 6 - Alessandra Ambrosio
Supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio has become a familiar star as a Victoria's Secret Angel since she emerged into the modeling world as part of the late 1990s Brazilian invasion. She was the first spokesmodel for the company's Pink line. Ambrosio also models for leading Brazilian fashion brand Colcci, with Ashton Kutcher, and Brazilian jewelry company Vivari. The 31-year-old gave birth to her second child in May 2012.

No. 7 - Miranda Kerr
$4 million
Earnings from May 2011-May 2012
Agency: IMG Models
No. 7 - Miranda Kerr
Australian model Miranda Kerr won the Dolly Magazine modeling competition before she left high school in 1997, but returned to finish her studies. She burst onto the top levels of the modeling scene in 2008 with Victoria's Secret, where she's still one of the company's vaunted Angels. Unhappy with existing organic skin care lines, Kerr launched her own brand of products, Kora Organics, in 2009. Many cite her prominent dimples as one reason for her success.

No. 8 - Lara Stone
$3.8 million
Earnings from May 2011-May 2012
Agency: IMG Models
No. 8 - Lara Stone
Lara Stone is the second Dutch supermodel among the top ten highest-paid. She was discovered in the Paris Metro at age 12 and competed in the Elite Model Look competition when she was just 15. Her gap-toothed smile and stunning curves have set her apart from other models. Stone has contracts with Versace, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Prada, and Mercedes Benz.

No. 9 - Carolyn Murphy
$3.5 million
Earnings from May 2011-May 2012
Agency: IMG Models
No. 9 - Carolyn Murphy
Former Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover girl Carolyn Murphy has been the face of Estee Lauder since 2001. She also has contracts with Ann Taylor Loft and Tom Ford, among others. Born in Panama City, Florida, Murphy was discovered at the age of 15.

No. 10 - Candice Swanepoel
$3.1 million
Earnings from May 2011-May 2012
Agency: IMG Models
No. 10 - Candice Swanepoel
South African model Candice Swanepoel, 23, is the youngest model on Forbes' top ten highest-earning list. She was first spotted in, of all places, a flea market. Swanepoel has since become one of the highest paid models in the world, mainly based on her work with Victoria's Secret. She's one of the most active of the company's young angels.



Just how rare is a supermodel?

To hear Ed Razek, chief marketing officer of Limited Brands, describe it, discovering a true supermodel, with all of the requisite gifts, is a daunting task.

“In the entire history of the Victoria‘s Secret Fashion Show, 140 separate women have walked that runway,” Razek says. “There are seven billion people on the planet. That makes each of them not one in a million, not one in five million, not one in ten million. That literally makes them one in 50 million humans.”


And that’s all the women who have participated in the show over the last 15 years. The elite list of models Forbes has compiled is even more rarefied company — and they’re paid handsomely for their talents. Over the last 12 months, the combined earnings of the top ten highest-paid models, from Gisele Bündchen to Candice Swanepoel, totals just under $100 million.

See the full gallery of the top ten highest-paid models here.

Just like last year, the Brazilian bombshell Bündchen leads the pack with a stunning $45 million in earnings (all estimates from May 1st, 2011 to May 1st, 2012). Even in her early thirties, Bündchen remains an unparalleled force within the fashion world. As the world’s most powerful supermodel, she racks up modeling gigs, spokesperson deals, and independent licensing ventures at every turn. The veritable endorsement queen shills for brands such as Pantene, Esprit, and Versace, and makes a percentage of profits on Ipanema flip-flops and other products bearing her name. While in the United States many know her as the wife of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Bündchen’s effect as a spokesperson, especially in her native Brazil, can make a huge difference.

Bündchen’s success combining business with modeling is influencing young, ascendant models. “The ones that are coming up, their model for excellence is Gisele. They’re looking at her and saying ‘that’s what I want to shoot for,’” Razek said.

Coming up a distant second in the rankings is British supermodel Kate Moss, with earnings of $9.2 million. Moss is known for her party-hard ways, but she remains one of fashion’s biggest icons, with big endorsement deals with Longchamp, Mango, Rimmel, and Vogue Eyewear. She also has a lucrative design deal with TopShop going back to 2007.

Natalia Vodianova, a Russian model whose name may be less familiar, was third with $8.6 million. Fragrance campaigns with Guerlain and Calvin Klein Euphoria have boosted Vodianova’s earnings into the highest echelons of modeling. The 30-year-old, who now lives in the UK, also designs lingerie collections for Etam and shoes for Centro.

“There was a time where the odd beauty was in style, and that created a backlash for a time when advertisers couldn’t use those girls,” said David Bonnouvrier, chairman of DNA Models, which represents Vodianova, along with fellow top models Doutzen Kroes (#5) and Alessandra Ambrosio (#6). “The top girls now represent a return to a true representation of beauty, not the odd beauty or a fashion-diverted version of beauty.”

Adriana Lima, who’s primarily known as a Victoria’s Secret Angel, registered $7.3 million in an exciting year. In addition to announcing that she’s expecting her second child, Lima made a big splash in early 2012 when she appeared in two attention-grabbing Super Bowl commercials, one for Kia and another, more seductive spot for Teleflora. Crossing over from the fashion world to a more mainstream audience, she now has more Facebook followers than any other model, and grabbed the final spot on Forbes’ Celebrity 100 list.

“Adriana’s a very modern, diverse beauty,” said her agent, Chris Gay, president of Marilyn New York. “She’s an ethnic mix of a girl, where quite frankly because she has such a multi-racial, multi-cultural background, everybody is accepting of her. That has always been her huge benefit.”

If you’ve followed our annual ranking in past years, you might wonder what happened to German supermodel Heidi Klum. Last year she ranked number two overall, after Bündchen, and her $20 million in earnings this year would have placed her comfortably into the same spot this time. However, Forbes determined that, like Tyra Banks before her, Klum has graduated from model to mogul. Since ending her 13-year run as a Victoria’s Secret Angel in 2010, Klum has become more of a businesswoman and multi-media personality.

Klum still endorses products, like Coca-Cola in Germany, but a large portion of her earnings comes from hosting popular television shows like Project Runway and Germany’s Next Top Model. She’s also partnered with companies to start her own business ventures. Klum has worked with New Balance and Amazon to create her own clothing brand and launched a jewelry line on QVC in September 2011. She even has her own micro-site within AOL for advice on everything from fashion to parenting.

Looking ahead, it’s tough to see anyone who might be able to dethrone Bündchen in the near future, given her sizable earnings lead. But there are young models coming up who may eventually challenge for the top spots. Candice Swanepoel, while only ranked 10th, is the youngest supermodel on the list. The 23-year-old South African has become a staple in Victoria’s Secret advertising. Same with Erin Heatherton, another 23-year-old who just missed the list.

Or perhaps it will be someone like Kate Upton, the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model. Until now, Upton has found more mainstream fame, especially online, than traditional modeling opportunities. But the 20-year-old has plenty of time to capitalize in that direction.