The Five Richest Victoria’s Secret Models of All-Time
Unlike most people would care to admit, the best part of watching the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is admiring the models smash the catwalk. For the models, it provides a gateway for greater exposure in several ways, which subsequently pushes them to mega-star status. The fans, on the other hand, enjoy the gift of watching some of the most beautiful women in the world showcase their prowess on the catwalk. Regardless of how dramatic the stage may be, V.S models must keep their cool in the aura of grandiose effects.
As most of them would admit, this is not a standard fashion show, which involves straight-faced participants, sans emotion, and almost robotic body movements. No, Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is more about the women than just the clothes. And the rewards speak for themselves. In this article, we take a look at the five richest Victoria’s Secret models of all time.
5. Liu Wen – $4.3 million
Liu Wen was born and raised in Beijing, China, and is regarded as one of the brightest fashion stars in the country. She established her career with the Chinese versions of Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, before breaking into the international scene in Paris, 2008. That began her dominance on the runways of Paris, Milan, and New York, with an impressive 49 shows for the 2010 Autumn/Winter season.
This involved Balenciaga, Salvatore Ferragamo, Bottega Veneta, Fendi, Alexander Wang, Proenza Schouler, Carolina Herrera, Michael Kors, Derek Lam, and Rodarte, as well as shooting editorials with the leading fashion photographers in the world like Dan Jackson, Terry Richardson, Mario Sorrenti, and Patrick Demarchelier. Liu Wen has also appeared on the cover of Vogue (Chinese edition) as well as editorials for W. These accomplishments have seen her accumulate an impressive amount of wealth, and she is said to be worth $4.3 million as of this writing.
4. Candice Swanepoel – $5 million
When she was just 23, back in 2012, Candice Swanepoel was the youngest model to appear on Forbes’ top 10 highest earning list. Her career began when she was 15, when she was discovered at a flea market and subsequently introduced into the modeling world. Since then, she has won an impressive following. Her contribution to Victoria’s Secret Today is one of the main reasons she continues growing her wealth. She is one of the most active young Angels in the company. Today, her total wealth is valued at an estimated $5 million.
3. Doutzen Kroes – $10 million
Doutzen Kroes is Dutch and one of Victoria’s Secret Angels. She is extremely popular due to her curvy figure, and has appeared in numerous campaigns for such brands as Tiffany & Co, Versace, Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana, and Gucci. She was born on 1985 in Eastermar, Friesland, Netherlands, and began her career immediately after high school when she signed with Amsterdam-based modeling agency “Paparazzi”. She has appeared on the runway for various design houses, from Fendi, Dsquared, Dolce & Gabbana, Christian Lacroix, Christian Dior, and Bottega Veneta, to Versace, Valentino, Prada, Roberto Cavalli, Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, John Galliano, and Jean Paul Gaultier.
Kroes admitted that her natural curves made it difficult to fit into the small sample sizes provided by such designers. She decided against the advice of losing weight, and instead established her career on her “curves”. In 2005, she made it to Victoria’s Secret catwalk, joining a list of alumni such as Heidi Klum and Gisele Bundchen. Since then, she has appeared on the lingerie label’s catwalk and lookbooks every year, before being made an official V.S Angel in 2008. She has a number of achievements under her belt too. For instance, she was voted Model Of The Year by Vogue readers (US) in 2005, before appearing on the cover of the magazine’s 2007 May issue.
2. Miranda Kerr – $18 million
Miranda May Kerr comes from Sidney and was born to parents John and Theresa Kerr. She grew up in a small town known as Gunedah. Her paternal grandmother had a farm, where Kerr would race motorbikes and ride horses. They later moved to Brisbane, together with her parents and her younger brother Matthew when they were teenagers. Her initial aspiration was to become a nutritionist, and she actually studied health psychology and nutrition after high school.
However, a magazine contest that she entered before her 14th birthday changed her mind. In 2000, she graduated from All Hallows’ School and started modeling for different clothing brands, print advertisements, and runways. Some of the most noteworthy companies Kerr has worked with include Marie Claire, Vogue, Maybelline, Qantas, Victoria’s Secret, One Teaspoon, Billabong Girls, Roxy, Tigerlily, and Dolly. In 2004, she moved to New York City and was acquainted with Orlando Bloom in 2007. The couple married in 2010 in a private ceremony, with a 4-month pregnancy. In January 2011, she gave birth to a son – Flynn Christopher Blanchard Copeland Bloom. Her current net worth is approximately $18 million.
1. Adriana Lima – $35 million
Adriana Lima was born in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil on 12th June 1981, to Maria de Graca Lima and Nelson Torres. Unfortunately, her father abandoned them when she was a child, leaving her mother to raise her by herself from a social worker’s salary. During her elementary years, she won several beauty pageants. At 13, she accompanied a friend to Ford’s modeling contest, “Supermodel of Brazil”, and emerged first place! Apart from being recognized as the Victoria’s Secret Angel, this stunning Brazilian model is also an actress.
Her success is mostly attributed to her amazing physical appeal and understanding of professionalism. Between 2003 and 2009, she was Maybelline cosmetics’ spokes-model and appeared in the first calendar of the company. She also received a shot in the arm when she scored an ad campaign for Switch, and has made the cover of a number of international editions of Marie Claire and Vogue.
She has also done catwalks for such designers as Valentino, Vera Wang, and Giorgio Armani. Lima’s CV also includes a cover of GUESS? in 2000. This plethora of achievements have seen her grow significantly financially, as she grabbed the 4th spot on 2012 Forbes’ highest paid models list, earning a staggering $7.3m in a year. She is married to Marco Jaric, a Serbian basketball player, with whom she has 2 daughters.
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