2016 has been a shocking year for the modelling world; where brains over beauty appears to reign supreme, diversity is lacking and age\u2026 well it is just a number, isn\u00b4t it?! Read our expos\u00e9 on the year that rocked the catwalk.<\/p>\n
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BRAINS BEFORE BEAUTY<\/p>\n
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Cara, Kendall and Gigi are the names that probably most springs to mind when discussing the world\u00b4s most popular supermodels. This year they graced all the front covers, landed the most high profile sponsorship deals and led the designer runaways. But the Forbes 2016 Rich List has rocked the fashion world by revealing that 36 year-old Brazilian supermodel Giselle Bundchen earnt a staggering $30.5 million, over $20 million more than her closest rival.<\/p>\n
Queen of the Catwalk<\/p>\n
Giselle Bundchan – $30.5m<\/p>\n
Endorsements: Chanel, Caroline Herrera, Giselle Bundchen Intimates, Sejaa<\/p>\n
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Minion #1<\/p>\n
Kendall Jenner \u2013 $10m<\/p>\n
Endorsements: Estee Lauder, Marc Jacobs, Chanel<\/p>\n
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Minion #2<\/p>\n
Gigi Hagid – $9m<\/p>\n
Endorsements: Versace, Tommy Hilfiger, Maybelline<\/p>\n
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Minion #3<\/p>\n
Cara Delevingne – $8.5m<\/p>\n
Endorsements: Burberry Fragrance, YSL, Tag Heur<\/p>\n
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Looking more closely into the financials of the top earners on the list we can see why a model almost twice the age of the others has topped the list.<\/p>\n
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Forbes Rich List is done on earnings for that year only. While the younger girls scoop the top endorsements, they don\u00b4t have their own businesses or lines from which to earn the seriously big bucks. Giselle has triumphed by launching her own label of lingerie, Giselle Bundchen Intimates and eco friendly make-up brand Sejaa. Both brands are now global and net the Brazilian-born model in excess of $17.5m annually.<\/p>\n
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However, Kendall\u00b4s $10m fortune amassed this year is not to be sniffed at. Her stock has risen by 150% from $4m earnings in the 2015 Forbes Rich List to $10m in 2016, primarily to do with her Estee Lauder contract and her huge social media following.<\/p>\n
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LACK OF DIVERSITY<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, this year\u00b4s list also reflects the lack of diversity on the catwalks, given that aside from the Puerto Rican model Joan Smalls, American model Jasmine Tookes and Chinese model Liu Wen the majority of the list are all white women.<\/p>\n
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Natalie Robehmed, a staff writer at Forbes, said: \u201cThe majority of the list is overwhelmingly white, which reflects the lack of diversity in campaigns. A recent survey of print ads found 78% of models used were white, compared with just eight per cent Black or four per cent Asian models featured.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Plus interestingly, despite the rising fame of plus-sized models such as Ashley Graham, no plus-sized model earned the $4 million cut off necessary to make this year’s Forbes ranking.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWhile models of colour and models who aren’t ‘straight-sized’ do find work in editorial shoots, they still rarely book the high-paying contracts that lead to a spot on this list,\u201d Robehmed added.<\/p>\n
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AGE IS JUST A NUMBER<\/p>\n
However, despite ethnic diversity being a problem, age obviously isn\u00b4t \u2013 and a new reign of elderly models are proving this with gusto.<\/p>\n
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Bo Gilbert (Aged 100)<\/p>\n
2016 marked 100 years of British Vogue Magazine and what better way to celebrate than to feature a model the same age as the magazine itself. Harvey Nichols selected Bo after it\u00b4s ad agency Adam & Eve scoured the UK for a suitable star. Bo was discovered in her local paper, The Evesham Journal and modelled in the magazine\u00b4s 100th<\/sup> issue and for a Harvey Nichols campaign.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Daphne Selfe (Aged 89)<\/p>\n Daphne\u00b4s career began in 1949, aged 20, when she appeared in publications including Vogue, Harper\u00b4s Bazaar and Vanity Fair. However, her big break came 10 years ago with an edgy Red or Dead catwalk show where she was propelled into the limelight as the face of the so-called \u201cGranny Chic\u201d movement. Last year she was awarded the Guinness World Record Title as the world\u00b4s oldest working supermodel.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Baddie Winkle (Aged 86)<\/p>\n 86-year-old Instagram star Baddie Winkle turned up in cult fashion label\u00b4s recent DimePiece’s \u201cState of Mind\u201d campaign. The gregarious grandma was shot by Nikko La Mere for DimePiece in their badass streetwear including mesh tunics, oversized jerseys and sexy swimsuits. A caption on one of Baddie’s Instagram photos says the campaign aimed \u201cto prove that you’re never too old to be the baddest bish in the room.\u201d We couldn’t agree more\u2026. let\u00b4s just hope designer brands start embracing culturally diverse and plus-sized models more. We\u00b4ll be watching with eager eyes for 2017!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 2016 has been a shocking year for the modelling world; where brains over beauty appears to reign supreme, diversity is lacking and age\u2026 well it is just a number, isn\u00b4t it?! Read our expos\u00e9 on the year that rocked the catwalk. BRAINS BEFORE BEAUTY Cara, Kendall and Gigi are the names that probably […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2679,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-uncategorised"],"yoast_head":"\n