The fashion industry is one of the most lucrative industries in the world. For women, the path to becoming a top model is often long and hard. But for those who make it to the top, the rewards can be great. In this article, we will list the top 10 highest-paid female models by net worth. We will also brief you on their careers and how they have made their money.
So, without further ado, let’s get started!

Top 10 highest Paid Female Models by Net Worth

The Brazilian model was born on April 11, 1981, in Erechim, a Brazilian municipality located in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. She is Best known for her work with Victoria’s Secret and as the first spokesmodel for the company’s PINK line.

Growing up, Ambrosio was insecure about her large ears and at the age of 11, she had cosmetic surgery to have her ears pinned back, which resulted in complications two years later. In a 2006 appearance on “The Tyra Banks Show,” Ambrosio disclosed that the bad experience with plastic surgery she had when she was a kid had discouraged her from ever having any work done again.

The Brazilian bombshell started modelling at a very young age (pre-teen) and grew to prominence after her selection as a finalist in the Elite Model Look competition in Brazil. Since then, she has graced the cover of many magazines and has also been featured in Victoria’s Secret fashion show, one year wearing a costume made of only candy.

Alessandra had a brief cameo in the box-office film “Casino Royale.” Along with fellow Victoria’s Secret Angels Adriana Lima, Selita Ebanks, Marisa Miller, Miranda Kerr, and Heidi Klum, Ambrosio guest-starred on “How I Met Your Mother” in the episode “The Yips” in November 2007.

Alessandra also had a cameo on “New Girl.” In 2015, she made her acting debut when she played the role of former top model Samia in the Brazillian telenovela series “Verdades Secretas” for Rede Globo. In 2016, Ambrosio appeared as herself in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.”

Born on December 4, 1973, in Inglewood, California. Tyra Banks began her modelling career while she was still in high school. At the age of 16 years old, she signed with Paris-based Elite Model Management, Tyra is one of only a few black models to attain “supermodel” status.

Over the years, she has posed for the covers of Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Spanish Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and many more fashion houses. She has also graced the runway in fashion shows for Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, Valentino, Fendi, Isaac Mizrahi and, Giorgio Armani, among many others. And she has appeared in advertising campaigns for Dolce & Gabbana, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Versace, Victoria’s Secret, Pepsi, Nike, and plenty more.

She became the first African-American model to appear on the covers of Sports Illustrated‘s swimsuit issue and GQ magazine—the issues debuted in 1997 and 1996, respectively. Tyra started her cosmetics company Tyra Beauty in 2004, after receiving a non-degree certificate from Harvard Business School. In 2015 she launched her e-commerce cosmetics website, tyra.com.

Bankable Production a company formed by the supermodel; was responsible for producing the reality series America’s Next Top Model, which was first aired in 2003, as well as her daytime talk show The Tyra Banks Show (2005–2010)

In 2019, after coming out of modelling retirement she went on to pose for one of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition covers.

Adriana Lima was born on June 12, 1981, in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Her mother, Maria, was a social worker, and her father, Nelson, worked as a carpenter. she is best known as the longest-running Victoria’s Secret Angel (2000 – 2018) and a spokesmodel for Maybelline cosmetics.

At age 15, Adriana won the “Supermodel of Brazil” competition and the year after, she came in second place in the Ford “Supermodel of the World” competition before signing with Elite Model Management in New York City.

She has since gone on to work as a model for multiple international designers and campaigns, including Vera Wang, Giorgio Armani, Guess, and Versace. In 2011 alone, Adriana earned $7 million, and every year since then, she has earned between $10 and $15 million. Lima was the third-highest-paid supermodel in 2013 and the second-highest in 2014 and 2015.

Lima landed her first magazine cover, “Marie Claire Brazil,” in September 1998, and she has since graced the covers of dozens more, including several countries’ versions of “Vogue,” “Harper’s Bazaar,” “Elle,” and “GQ.” The highest-selling issue of “GQ” in 2006 featured Adriana on the cover, and it remains one of the magazine’s best-selling issues.

In 2018, footwear brands Puma and Schutz named Lima a brand ambassador, and she walked the runway as a Victoria’s Secret Angel for the last time. In 2019, she appeared in campaigns for Miu Miu, the Schutz resort, the Palms Casino Resort, and a Maybelline x Puma collaboration.

Elle Macpherson is an Australian model, actress, businesswoman, and television host who has a net worth of $95 million dollars. Macpherson began modelling to pay for law school, but that plan fell by the wayside when she ended up becoming one of the highest-paid models in the world.

Macpherson has participated in runway shows for numerous famed designers, such as Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton, Donna Karan, and Calvin Klein, and she has appeared in ad campaigns for Victoria’s Secret, Revlon, Diet Coke, Budweiser, Chrysler, and several other companies.

In 1994, Macpherson founded Elle Macpherson Inc. and released a series of calendars before creating the “Your Personal Best – The Body” workout videos. She released a lingerie collection, Elle Macpherson Intimates, with Bendon Limited Apparel in 1990, and it became Great Britain and Australia’s best-selling lingerie line.

Elle later created a line of maternity bras as well as Elle Macpherson – The Body beauty products, and she served on Hot Tuna Clothing’s board of directors for a year. Macpherson gave the Keynote Address at the International Trademark Association’s annual meeting in 2009, and in 2014, she co-founded a wellness company, WelleCo, releasing The Super Elixir, an alkalising wellness supplement. In 2005, “Glamour” magazine named Elle Entrepreneur of the Year, and she earned an Everywoman Ambassador Award in 2007.

In 2018, Elle paid $8.1 million for a 9,000-square-foot home in Coral Gables, Florida. The 7-bedroom estate sits on 1.71 acres of land. The property includes a saltwater pool and the mansion was given a full gut renovation by the owner before Elle. Elle listed this home for sale in April 2022 for $29 million. Below is a video tour from before she bought the home:

Christy Brinkley is an American model, actress and entrepreneur who has a net worth of $100 million. She first gained international attention in the 1970s as a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model and went on to become one of the world’s most successful and highest-paid models.

Brinkley rose to fame in the 1970s thanks to her appearances in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues and, for 25 years, served as the face of CoverGirl. With a career spanning over three decades, she has been featured on more than 500 magazine covers and has worked with a plethora of major brands.

In 1979, she made history by appearing on three consecutive covers of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue—something that had never been done before—and went on to appear in subsequent issues and TV specials for many years to come.

Beyond modelling, Brinkley has also appeared in film, as well as on stage and television. Her first role was in 1983’s “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” in which she played the iconic, unnamed girl in the red Ferrari.

In addition to doing endorsements for Total Gym home fitness equipment, Brinkley has a handful of brands of her own, including Bellissima Prosecco, Christie Brinkley Authentic Skin Care, and Christie Brinkley Eyewear. She has been involved in a myriad of other endeavours, as well.

On the beauty side, Brinkley has designed clothes for the Simplicity Pattern Company and helped design a line of prescription glasses for Nouveau Eyewear. Additionally, she has released a jewellery collection and a signature fragrance.

Surprisingly, the majority of Christie’s net worth does not come from her modelling career. Brinkley has made a number of extremely wise real estate investments over the years. She has primarily invested in property in the ultra-exclusive New York beach town of The Hamptons.

Klum is a German and American model, actress, TV host, businesswoman, fashion designer, TV producer, artist, and occasional singer who has a net worth of a staggering $160 million. After a successful modelling career that made her a Victoria’s Secret Angel, Heidi Klum experienced considerable success in the entertainment industry.

In a given year Hedi Klum earns $40 million from her empire which includes television production, hosting, endorsements and licensing deals. She has an intimate line called Heidi Klum Intimates and a regular clothing line sold at the supermarket chain Lidl.

Heidi Klum was born on June 1st of 1973 in Bergisch Gladbach, a German town near Cologne. Her father worked as an executive for a cosmetics company. At the age of 19, Heidi Klum entered a modelling compitition and won a contract worth $300,000 dollars.

While working with Victoria’s Secret, Hiedi designed her own line of lingerie that was ultimately carried by the brand. She also helped them design a line of cosmetics. Later she would create her own line of fragrances.

During her modelling career, Klum was praised for making sound business decisions. She created her own swimsuit calendars, the most notable of which was released in the year 2000 for US markets.

Heidi Klum also worked as a producer on the reality show Project Runway. She also won a Peabody Award for her work on Project Runway. In addition, she has hosted shows such as Germany’s Next Top Model and America’s Got Talent. Klum is also an artist and designer who has created clothing lines, jewellery, paintings, and sculptures.

Heidi Klum at times has been one of the world’s top-earning models, At the peak of her modelling career in 2011, Heidi earned $20 million from modelling alone.

Iman Abdulmajid Jones is a Somalian-American retired fashion model, actress and entrepreneur who has a net worth of $200 million dollars. She is professionally known as Iman (meaning ‘faith’ in Arabic). She is also credited with being a pioneer in the field of ethnic cosmetics.

The widow of the late English rock star David Bowie, she is known for her fashion work with such renowned designers as Calvin Klein, Yves Saint Laurent, and Gianni Versace.

At the time of his death, David Bowie’s net worth was $230 million. Iman came out best in the will, receiving their large dual-penthouse “apartment” in SoHo, as well as half of the rest of his estate.

In January 2022, David’s estate sold the rights to his publishing catalogue for $250 million. Iman’s pre-tax stake resulted in a roughly $125 million windfall.

Iman was born Zara Mohamed Abdulmajid in 1955 in Mogadishu, Somalia. Her parents, diplomat Mohamed and gynaecologist Miriam renamed her Iman at the urging of her grandfather.

Following nearly two decades of modelling, Iman launched her eponymous cosmetics company in 1994. The popular, $25 million-a-year brand focuses on shades that are hard to find for non-Caucasian women and is based on Iman’s own self-mixed makeup formulations.

Thanks to her success and visibility, Iman was approached by the CEO of the Home Shopping Network in 2007 and was encouraged to create her own clothing line. Global Chic, Iman’s first collection, featured one-size-fits-all embroidered caftans and was inspired by both her modelling career and her childhood in Egypt. The collection has since evolved into a line of affordable accessories, and as of 2020, is among the bestselling fashion and jewellery brands on the Home Shopping Network.

Cindy Crawford is an American model and businesswoman who has a net worth of $400 million. That is a combined net worth with her husband, tequila entrepreneur Rande Gerber, a highly-successful entrepreneur who co-founded Casamigos tequila with George Clooney. They have been married since 1998 and have two daughters. On her own, Cindy’s fortune would easily top $200 million.

Cindy Crawford was born Cynthia Ann Crawford on February 20, 1966, in DeKalb, Illinois. She grew up with her mother Jennifer (a bank teller), father Dan (an electrician) and sisters Chris and Danielle. Cindy also had a brother, Jeffrey, who sadly passed away from childhood leukaemia when he was just 3 years old.

Crawford attended DeKalb High School and took part in a fashion shoot for a local store during her junior year. Later that year, photographer Roger Legel took Cindy’s photo for “DeKalb Nite Weekly,” and at age 17, she was runner-up in the Elite Model Management’s Look of the Year contest.

Crawford was one of the most popular supermodels of the 1980s and 1990s. She graced the runway shows of many designers such as Versace, Chanel, Calvin Klein, and several other major designers and was featured in campaigns for Oscar De La Renta, Valentino, Revlon, Maybelline, and more.

Cindy left the world of full-time modelling in 2000, she created the Meaningful Beauty line of beauty products in 2005, with Dr Jean-Louis Sebagh. She also launched the Cindy Crawford Home Collection furniture line in 2005 and the Cindy Crawford Style home goods line (for J.C. Penney) in 2009.

In May 2011, she came out of retirement to appear on the cover of “Vogue Mexico,” and the cover of “Vogue Paris” with her daughter in April 2016. In 2015. Her net worth is combined with her husband’s, but she still is worth about $200 million on her own, thanks to her unbelievable success as a model.

Gisele Bündchen was born on July 20, 1980, in Horizontina, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. She is of German descent. Gisele was raised in Rio Grande do Sul in Southern Brazil with her twin sister Patricia and their four other sisters, Raquel, Graziela, Gabriela, and Rafaela. Gisele is fluent in Portuguese, English, Italian, Spanish, and French.

She graced the cover of Vogue again in December 1999. In 2000, Rolling Stone named then-20-year-old Gisele “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” and put her on the cover of the magazine. She is largely credited with creating a whole new category of models: the Brazillian bombshell.

Bündchen signed a $25 million contract with Victoria’s Secret in 2000 and officially retired from Fashion Week runway shows. That same year, she wore the $15 million Victoria’s Secret Fantasy Bra, the Red Hot Fantasy Bra, which is listed in Guinness World Records as the most expensive lingerie ever created. In 2005 Bündchen modelled the $12.5 million Sexy Splendor Fantasy Bra, the second-most expensive bra ever made. Bündchen ended her contract with Victoria’s Secret in May 2007.

Gisele released her book called Lessons: “My Path to a Meaningful Life” in 2018. Her book was a New York Times bestseller in the U.S. and was the best-selling book for more than six months in Brazil. The proceeds from her book went to support social and environmental causes.

Bündchen was the highest-paid model in the world from 2002–2017. As of this writing, Gisele Bundchen has earned $500 million from her modelling and endorsement career alone. That figure does not include real estate assets and various other non-liquid investments.

Bündchen was featured in the 2015 Guinness World Record book as the model who earned the most money from June 2014 to June 2015.

Kathy Ireland is an American former model, actress, entrepreneur and designer who has a net worth of $500 million. Kathy Ireland acquired that net worth through a successful modelling career upon which she capitalized by creating a brand product marketing company called Kathy Ireland Worldwide. As of this writing, she is the richest supermodel on the planet.

Kathleen Marie Ireland, better known as Kathy Ireland, was born on March 20, 1963, in Glendale, California. Her parents are John and Barbara Ireland. When she was sixteen years old, a scout from Elite Model Management discovered her at her high school. She signed on with the management company and began appearing in various fashion shoots and spreads. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, she enjoyed a successful modelling career. She appeared on the covers of notable magazines like Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Forbes, and Mademoiselle. She also appeared in 13 consecutive Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues.

Ireland first tasted entrepreneurial success outside of modelling in 1993 when she released her own line of socks for the retailer Kmart. Ireland’s socks were a smash sales hit for Kmart, selling 100 million pairs, so they followed up with an entire clothing line under her name. Not content to merely be licensing her name, that same year she founded her own marketing firm, Kathy Ireland Worldwide, which has become a truly incredible success story. Unlike her deal with Kmart, where she was merely loaning them her name, Ireland is the majority owner and CEO of Kathy Ireland Worldwide (KIWW). Her company now markets home goods products from dozens of companies in a wide range of categories. It was actually at the suggestion and advice of Warren Buffett, one of Ireland’s friends and mentors, that she made the decision for her company to enter into the home furnishings business.

Once Ireland’s Kmart contract expired in 2003, KIWW launched its own products which are now sold at over 60,000 worldwide locations in 15 countries. In 2005 alone, KIWW pulled in nearly $1.5 billion in sales. KIWW markets a wide range of products including Indoor/Outdoor Accessories, Rugs, Baby Furniture, Bedding, Wedding Gowns, Candles, Ceiling Fans, Fabrics, Fine Crystal, Mattresses, and many more. Between 2005 and 2012, products with Ireland’s brand are reported to have generated over $2 billion in annual retail sales, helping the company establish itself as a major player in the industry.

KIWW has also branched out into talent management. The company owns the subsidiary Sterling/Winters Company, which is the management company for singer Janet Jackson. In 2019, KIWW signed a management and partnership agreement with actress and singer Vanessa Williams.

These are the top 10 highest-paid female models by net worth. While many of these models are well-known, there are always new faces emerging in the modelling industry. Keep up with the latest in fashion and beauty by following us on social media.