Walking in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show [1] is pretty much the holy grail of modeling achievements. It puts models on the map, not just in terms of recognition but also earning potential. There's an important difference between the models who walk in the runway show and those who have the special designation of being an "Angel," though.
While walking in the show is certainly a coveted gig for any fashion model, Victoria's Secret Angels [2] work for the brand year-round, which means they have much more lucrative contracts. What's more, getting the VS stamp of approval can open doors for models to gain global visibility and, often, even more contracts from other fashion and beauty brands, which seriously ups their earnings.
Ahead, we've rounded up the current Victoria's Secret Angels who have the most impressive salaries, from modeling legends to fresh-faced newcomers.
Adriana Lima
The longest-running Victoria's Secret model took home a cool $10.5 million [3] in 2017, making her the highest-earning Angel at the moment. In addition to her contract with the lingerie retailer, the Brazilian beauty cashes in on deals with Sportmax and Marc Jacobs fragrance. Her future with the brand may be tenuous, though, since she recently spoke out about how she won't take her clothes off anymore for an "empty cause." [4]
Candice Swanepoel
Though Swanepoel's salary data for 2017 aren't available yet, she made $7 million [5] in 2016, so it stands to reason that she took home a similar paycheck last year. In addition to VS, she works with Maxfactor and Biotherm, which definitely rounds out her take-home pay.
Alessandra Ambrosio
Though Ambrosio has been with VS almost as long as Lima, it appears her contract with the brand isn't quite as hefty, since she made $5 million [6] in 2016. She also announced this year that she's retiring from the Victoria's Secret runway, which leaves her future with the brand uncertain. She's still listed as an Angel on its site, so as of now, it looks like she may still appear in advertisements and photo shoots for the brand and, thus, take home a paycheck.
Jasmine Tookes
Tookes has been with Victoria's Secret since 2015, and she earned $4 million [7] in 2016, making her one of the top 20 highest-earning models that year. Though VS is her highest-profile gig, it's been speculated that the majority of her income comes from her contracts with Lancome and Calvin Klein fragrance.
Behati Prinsloo
The Namibian model's last-known salary info was just under $3.5 million [8] back in 2015. Not too shabby, if you ask us.
Lily Aldridge
Aldridge is one of the Angels with the most serious cred in the fashion world, with advertisements for Carolina Herrera, Tommy Hilfiger, and Michael Kors under her belt. Combined with her Victoria's Secret contract, these gigs earn her somewhere around $4 million [9].
Taylor Hill
Earnings of $4 million [10] seems to be the sweet spot for many of the newer Angels, like Taylor Hill. She also works with Lancome and Topshop, which fills out her salary significantly.
Lais Ribeiro
Though information about exactly how much Ribeiro makes isn't available, she did purchase a $2.5 million condo [11] in NYC last year, which means it's safe to say she's doing well financially. She wore this year's Fantasy Bra in the runway show, so it's a pretty sure bet she'll be earning on her VS contract for years to come.
Sara Sampaio
Sampaio's exact salary is still a mystery, but she shared with Fashion Law [12] the fact that her Instagram following nearly doubled when she became an Angel. These days, a sizable following translates directly into dollars and cents, and at 6.2 million followers [13], it's likely this Portuguese stunner is raking in the cash — probably to the tune of $1.2 million [14] per year.
Martha Hunt
Hunt is also said to have made a little less than $3.5 million [15] in 2015, and she's spoken about the financial freedom and security [16] that come with a Victoria's Secret contract.