From The Straits Times    |

In August 2013 Forbes Magazine released its annual rankings of female model earnings. Now it’s time for the men.

It’s an American, British and Canadian top-three this year. The trio of big earners all exceeded the USD1 million mark in annual income in the Forbes Magazine rankings.

1. Sean O’Pry – USD1.5 million


American model Sean O’Pry ©AFP PHOTO / FRANCOIS GUILLOT

Born in the US state of Georgia and discovered in his late teens on his Myspace profile, O’Pry has worked with Calvin Klein, Versace, D&G, Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors, and this year just edged out runner-up David Gandy as the world’s top-earning male model.

2. David Gandy – USD1.4 million


British model David Gandy ©AFP PHOTO / GIUSEPPE CACACE

Gandy has taken on a role as the UK’s unofficial “Mr Fashion” with his work promoting British designers and the London Collections: Men, but he still found time to bag campaigns for Hugo Boss, Banana Republic and Massimo Dutti. Unique among most male models, he’s also got big advertising contracts with food and drink brands in the form of Johnnie Walker whiskey and the protein packed ice-cream company Whey Hey.

3. Simon Nessman – USD1.1 million
Canadian-born Simon Nessman is the final model to have hit the million-dollar mark. At only 23 years old, the British Columbia native is already the face of Giorgio Armani and Michael Kors. The former high-school basketball player has also worked for Calvin Klein and Versace.

“Not bad work if you can get it!” you might say. Still it’s paltry with what the ladies take home each year. Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen earned USD42 million in 2012-2013, topping the Forbes list, followed by Australian star Miranda Kerr with a respectable USD7.2 million in income.

Another notable trend is the absolute dominance of male models from the Northern Hemisphere. While the top three female models represented Brazil and Australia, the top ten also included models from Europe, South Africa, Puerto Rico and China.

Here’s the rest of the men’s top 10:
4. Arthur Kulkov, Russian – USD905,000
5. Noah Mills, American – USD740,000
6. Ryan Burns, American – USD610,000
7. Tyson Ballou, American – USD425,000
8. Ollie Edwards, British – USD410,000
9. Jon Kortajarena, Spanish – USD290,000
10. Tobias Sorensen, Danish – USD265,000 – AFP RELAXNEWS