Gisele Bündchen is the reigning queen of the modeling industry, and she recently nabbed the top spot on Forbes‘ list of highest-earning models — a title she has held for 15 years.
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In 2015, Bündchen revealed that she would no longer be strutting down the catwalks, but she’s continued to earn big money with her campaigns, including deals with Chanel, Carolina Herrera and Stuart Weitzman. So how much does the top model in the world earn? According to Forbes, Bündchen raked in a whopping $35.5 million this year. Impressive, right?
But Bündchen shouldn’t get too comfortable at the top. She may still be the queen in 2016, but upcoming models like Kendall Jenner, Karlie Kloss and Gigi Hadid are all in the running for the title next year after having dramatically increased their earnings.
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Jenner came third on the list, with $10 million, having increased her earnings by 150 percent since 2015. Kloss tied with Jenner for third place after her earnings doubled from last year, and she secured more campaigns during Forbes‘ scoring period than any other model on its list.
Chris Gay, president of The Society Management, which represents Jenner, told Forbes how its business has changed, saying, “These models [have] become more and more influential because they are the conduits of media — not only somebody who can be the face of the campaign, but a powerful means to distribute it.”
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As for Hadid, she found herself in fifth place with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, both cashing in $9 million (pretax). The publication also notes that Hadid’s social media fame has done wonders for her career: She manages to attract lucrative contracts thanks to her 22 million Instagram followers.
These up-and-coming models still have a long way to go before they steal Bündchen’s crown, but it’s entirely possible that by this time next year, the list will be very different.
Before you go, check out our slideshow below:
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