With the new year having officially arrived, its time to take a look at those models who are likely to cause the greatest sensation. Since January 3 we've been revealing the names of models we expect to see everywhere this year. Top model lists are about as arbitrary as anything and totally at the whims of those who put them together. Unlike other rankings, which include subjective criteria in their assessments, we've computed the list scientifically. Hence, we've rounded up the top 10 American models who have taken 2017 by storm: from their catwalk presence to their street style.
Taken from the IFDAQ 'American Models National Rankings' list, it serves as a cheat sheet for supermodel historians out there. These refreshingly eclectic mix of models mean business. Not only have they made an impression throughout 2017, but are anticipated to define the upcoming seasons in fashion. So far, we've limited the list to rank only the top 10 American models, those interested in the complete list can pre-register at http://www.ifdaq.com/
No 10. Lexi Boling
Lexi Boling ranks at No 10. The 24-year-old "It" model had a wildly successful 2017, with catwalk appearances and magazine covers in almost every big-name show. Ice-blue eyes and signature stare-down characterizes the Chicago native. Despite her sweet and innocent look, she has earned the reputation as the "bad girl" of fashion. As a very sought-after model in Italy, she is best known for her multiple covers for Vogue Italia and her appearances in numerous Prada campaigns. Since the beginning of her career in 2013, Lexi's model value has steadily grown with explosive success in 2016. Her popularity is dominated by her numerous media appearances. Rarely does a month pass before she appears in one of the numerous fashion editorials or graces the cover. Even on the catwalk, Lexi has become a staple. If you would count all her fashion week appearances since the beginning of her career, you could roughly estimate that she has already walked more than 30 KM over the catwalks.
No 9. Lily Aldridge
Lily Aldridge ranks at No 9. The Californian native who is married to Kings of Leon front man Caleb Followill, has conquered the fashion world with her killer cheekbones and irresistible beauty. She is best known for her work as a Victoria's Secret model and for appearing in the 50th Anniversary edition of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2014. Lily's modeling career is dominated by numerous appearances in prestigious fashion magazines and her effortlessly natural look has earned her some high profit bookings and advertising campaigns for brands such as Carolina Herrera, Michael Kors, Salvatore Ferragamo, Saks Fifth Avenue, J Brand, Tommy Hilfiger, Coach, Alberta Ferretti, Anthropologie, H&M, and XOXO. Her beauty partnerships include Clinique, Bobbi Brown, Smashbox Cosmetics, and Herbal Essences. With a total of 8 magazine cover's in 2017 Lily proved her worth as a model. She also proved her catwalk queen credentials, when she walked down the glitter-coated runway of the 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show which was held in Shanghai, China. The event also marked her ninth year altogether.
No 8. Lindsey Wixson
Fashion industry wunderkind Lindsey Wixson ranks at No 8. She is best known for her million-dollar gap-toothed smile and her unique look, which is characterized by her bee-stung lips and rosebud pout. The Karl Lagerfeld muse start her modelling career in 2009 and soon after was proclaimed as the world's biggest rising fashion model star. Over the last few seasons, Lindsey has been running exclusively on the catwalk, which is why her modelling career is mainly driven by a strong fashion media impact and advertising value. She has walked for the likes of Prada and Miu Miu and been the face of Chanel, Versace, and Fendi. Since the beginning of her career, she has covered a walk of nearly 26 km on the runway. In June 2017, Lindsey announced that she was retiring from modelling due to a foot injury and will pursue new endeavors in interior design and ceramics. For the sake of Fashion in general, we hope her retirement is temporary.
No 7. Grace Elizabeth
Grace Elizabeth ranks at No 7. The Florida native beauty who has been making waves in the industry, started modelling in 2014 and is since unquestionably on the rise. Grace got her start in modelling as the face of Guess advertising and followed in the footsteps of Adriana Lima. She then went on to make her runway debut walking exclusively for Miu Miu during the Fall/Winter 2016 ready-to-wear season. Grace made her first appearance in Vogue USA for its June 2016 issue. Since then, she has worked with photographers like Patrick Demarchelier, and Theo Wenner. Internationally she has been featured on the German, Spanish, and French editions of Vogue. Her beauty and seductive charisma make her one of the most sought after models in the fashion media landscape, which is why she is now a regular subject for leading fashion photographers. In 2017, she was tapped as the new face of Victoria's Secret Pink.
No 6. Taylor Hill
Taylor Hill ranks at No 6. The Illinois native who was discovered on a dude ranch in Granby, Colorado, near her home when she was 14, has been living her dream. She landed her first-ever Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in 2014 at her very first casting for the lingerie giant. In April 2015, Hill became an official Angel and marked her fourth show in 2017, making her a veteran of the event. In addition to her fame as a Victoria's Secret Angel, Taylor has appered on the catwalks of several high profile fashion shows such as Miu Miu, Chanel, Givenchy, Fendi, Dolce and Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, Anthony Vaccarello, Thierry Mugler, Kenzo, Ellie Saab, and Christopher Kane. During Fall 2015 Fashion Month, Taylor walked an impressive 20 - yes, 20 shows. If you would count all her fashion week appearances since the beginning of her career, you could roughly estimate that she has already walked more than 30 KM over the catwalks. Editorially, she has appeared in American Vogue, French Vogue, Numero, V Magazine, Harper's Bazaar, Elle Australia, and Elle France. She has starred in some major campaigns such as Versus Versace, Lancome and Topshop. Other than being exceptionally beautiful, Taylor also has an Instagram following of nearly 9.7 million. When shes not modeling, she enjoys drawing, snowboarding, discovering new music and reading.
No 5. Kendall Jenner
Kendall Jenner ranks at No 5. The reality-star turned model-of-the moment needs no introduction. Unlike other contemporary models, she is no stranger to the camera and has been a cast member of the highly successful reality show 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' since she was 11-years-old. Kendall started her career in modelling in 2014 after being cast by Marc Jacobs to walk in his autumn/winter show during New York Fashion Week. That same year, she walked thirteen major shows and became the talk of the fashion crowd. She also landed herself a behemoth endorsement deal as the new face of Estee Lauder. In 2015 Kendall made her Victoria's Secret Fashion Show debut and returned in 2016. However, she missed last year's show due to a conflicting contract with La Perla whom she models for. As one of the most followed, most photographed people in the world Kendall has a very strong media impact (about 61%) in comparison to the jobs she does. She has deals with numerous top brands, including La Perla, Burberry and Adidas.
No 4. Carolyn Murphy
Carolyn Murphy ranks at No 4. The 43 year old supermodel who was born on Florida's Emerald Coast, moved to England with her father and brother when she was seven. She first made a splash as a model in the late '90s with Clinique and Prescriptives. Later in her 20's, she moved on to Estee Lauder and has been the face of the makeup giant for 17 years, the longest cosmetics contract in the business. Over the past two decades, Carolyn has graced the catwalk for nearly every major designer and appeared on a myriad of magazine covers. She has fronted campaigns for the likes of Versace, Tom Ford, Calvin Klein, Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton. Carolyn is still thriving and her portfolio continues to expand. In 2014 she became the face of Max Mara, and in 2015, she was chosen by UGG to be the face of its Classic Luxe Collection. 2017 saw her featured in Rag & Bone's SS18 campaign alongside Georgia Fowler and Andreea Diaconu.
No 3. Gigi Hadid
Gigi Hadid ranks at No 3. The California native, is no stranger to modeling (her mother is Dutch former model Yolanda Foster). Gigi started modeling at the ripe young age of 2 years old, when the co-founder of Guess who was a family friend, cast her in ads. However, when she was 8 or 9 years her mother, pulled her away from the business until she was 17 and was flooded with modeling opportunities. In 2015 she was announced to be the newest spokesperson of Maybelline New York. She made her 'Victoria's Secret Fashion Show debut that year, in addition to appearing in Taylor Swift's 'Bad Blood' music video. In 2016, Gigi walked the Victoria's Secret runway alongside her sister Bella, making them the first sibling pair to do it together. She also hosted hosted the American Music Awards that year. She has graced the runways of Marc Jacobs, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Chanel, as well as several magazine covers. She also starred in the 2015 Pirelli Calendar. Modeling is in her blood and she has skyrocketed her career to the next level through lucrative modeling contracts and her strategic use of social media.
No 2. Bella Hadid
Bella Hadid ranks at No 2. Like her sister Gigi Hadid, the California native, is also no stranger to modeling. She came into the spotlight when she appeared on the US reality TV series Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, in which her mother Yolanda Hadid also starred. Unlike Gigi who was a regular on the show, Bella appeared only twice. Her first job was manning the counter of SunLife Organics, a Malibu juice bar, when she was 14. Prior to becoming a model, she was an accomplished equestrian and was due to compete at the 2016 Olympics. However, she was forced to give up as she was battling severe symptoms of Lyme disease which she contracted as a child. Bella turned her focus to modelling and in August 2014, she was signed by IMG. In February 2015, she walked down the runway for for Tom Ford, Diane von Furstenberg, Tommy Hilfiger, Jeremy Scott, Balmain, and Marc Jacobs. During London Fashion Week of that year, she walked for Topshop Unique and Giles, and Moschino, Missoni, and Bottega Veneta at the Milan Fashion Week. Karl Lagerfeld cast her in his 2015 Metiers d'Art show in Rome. In 2016, Bella was once again called by Karl for his January Chanel Couture show. In March of that year she walked exclusively for Givenchy, Chanel and Miu Miu at Paris Fashion Week. 2017 was a highly succesful year for her and she clocked campaigns for 10 brands during the first six months. She starred in ads for Nike and Giuseppe Zanotti and walked in shows for Naomi Campbell and amfAR as well. She also launched a design collaboration with LA-based luxury brand Chrome Hearts. She was also named as the face of Dior Beauty, her biggest to date contract.
No 1. Karlie Kloss
Karlie Kloss ranks at No 1. She is arguably one of the biggest, most influential models of the last decade whose rise as a model has been stratospheric. She was discovered the age of 13 while shopping at a mall in her hometown of St Louis, Missouri in 2015. Two years later, she made her first magazine appearance in Teen Vogue and walked for Calvin Klein at New York Fashion Week. Karlie made her Victoria's Secret debut in 2011 and became an official Angel in early 2013. After walking in four Victoria's Secret fashion shows, she hung up her wings in 2015 because of other commitments, but made her grand return to the runway in 2017. During her two year hiatus from Victoria's Secret she pursued a degree at New York University. She also launched a YouTube channel named Klossy through which she shares her experiences modeling, coding, baking and traveling. In 2015, she started Kode with Klossy, a free summer coding camp program for teenage girls interested in computer science. She ran her first New York City marathon and walked countless fashion week runways. Karlie also has a line of vegan, gluten-free cookies, aptly named 'Karlie's Kookies' that benefit FEED and CFDA. She is currently the face of several campaigns including Express, Carolina Herrera, Adidas and Swarovski, and in 2014, was named the global ambassador for L'Oreal Paris. Over the years as a model she walked some 40km for top designers including Oscar de la Renta, Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen and Versace. She now walks exclusively though. She has graced the covers of multiple international Vogues and is a staple each month. Today her modelling career is driven by her fashion media impact, prestige advertisings and entrepreneuship.
About IFDAQ
The IFDAQ is the most advanced and powerful AI system that provides quantitative market values for anyone and everything in the fashion and luxury industry. The IFDAQ values come from an intelligent ecosystem that creates a high-dimensional virtual image of the fashion industry and measures the effective market value based on the relative performance in the industry of a fashion entity.
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