Top 10 Supermodels of the 2000s

This former Victoria’s Secret Angel is a product of The Windy City and became an international sensation before her 16th birthday. With a 6’1” frame and sparkling green eyes, Karlie Kloss booked 64 shows in 2008 and had both French and Italian audiences hypnotized with her runway talent. She rocked the cover of many global versions of Vogue magazine, and some have noted her resemblance to her BFF, pop superstar Taylor Swift. However, the truth is that Taylor Swift resembles her; Kloss was a supermodel boss in the 2000s, and still is.

Born in Georgia but raised in Los Angeles, Ms. Chanel Iman Robinson signed with Ford Models in 2006 and graced the cover of Teen Vogue with Karlie Kloss the following year. Although her sensuous looks – which come from her African-American and Korean background – are perfect for any designer across the globe, it’s her intelligence that piqued the interest of the one and only Tyra Banks, who welcomed her to the judging panel as a guest for “America’s Top Model, Cycle 13.” The elegant Chanel spent the latter half of the decade walking in Victoria’s Secret fashion shows and in 2010, she became a member of the prestigious Angel squad.

This brunette beauty hails from Canada, and with a background that includes Irish and Ukrainian ancestry, Coco Rocha has got the multi-cultural look of the moment that’s at once distinct and versatile. Whether she’s sporting a pixie cut or long locks, this blue-eyed belle of the catwalk is well known for her perfect poses, and she was struttin’ down Paris runways before she was 18 years old. Rocha appeared on the cover of almost every fashion magazine in 2007-08 until there was none left to conquer. Today, she’s moved on to bigger projects, but in the 2000s, we went crazy for Coco.

By 2005, Vogue.com readers chose this Dutch model as “Model of the Year,” and shortly after, she became one of the world’s highest-earning fashionistas. Hailing from a small village in the Netherlands, Doutzen Kroes is not your typical waif-y model but rather a blonde bombshell who seems designed to walk the runway. She secured a spot in the famous and exclusive 2008 Pirelli Calendar and became yet another Victoria’s Secret Angel the same year. Doutzen Kroes ended the decade by writing a column for Marie Claire, proving that she’s far more than just a pretty face.

She’s the complete package and one of the most celebrated SI models of all-time. Though she started her modeling career at the age of 18 months, Bar Refaeli kicked off the 2000s in style by winning “Model of the Year” in Israel, and fashion designers have been clamoring for her ever since. She’s often ranked as one of sexiest women in the world thanks to her curvy physique and penetrating eyes, and she’s also flaunted her brains as host of various shows, including “Tommy Hilfiger Presents Ironic Iconic America.” To cap it all off, the “Women’s World Awards” honored Refaeli in 2009 for her “natural elegance, sense of style and compassion.”

As the daughter of a Czech basketball player, this top model and was earning as much bread as many NBA stars in 2007. Before the decade even began, Karolína Kurková had appeared in Vogue, and Victoria’s Secret was so impressed with her body, she was featured in a 2000 webcast – at age 16. Halfway through the decade, Kurková became an iconic VS Angel and is regularly named one of the most beautiful people in the world. She’s dished out advice on “America’s Next Top Model” and lit up the big screen in “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.” It was quite the decade for Karolína Kurková.

Her cheekbones are a Ukrainian-Canadian joint national treasure and her runway accomplishments have become legendary. Oh, and if you’re lucky enough, she can sail you around the world. Daria Werbowy’s modeling career was almost finished before it even started, but a simple twist of fate and chance meeting with a modeling agent made her an iconic face of Prada. She appeared on the cover of Italian Vogue three times in 2003 and became a centerpiece of Canada’s esteemed Walk of Fame in 2008. Maybe most recognizable thanks to her work with Lancôme; Werbowy’s truly was a whirlwind entrance into the fashion industry.

You may not recognize her name but you’ve most definitely seen her face. Natalia Vodianova was pulling in $5 million a year by the late 2000s and truly has one of the more inspirational stories of the modeling industry. She was raised in a poor neighborhood in Russia, but secured a modeling contract by the end of the ‘90s and the rest is history. Nicknamed Supernova, her success on magazine covers and on the runway allowed her to create the Naked Heart Foundation in 2004, which allows Russian children a safe place to foster their talents. Natalia Vodianova is the real deal.

This German supermodel has become synonymous with “THE runway” after becoming host, judge and executive producer of the TV ratings phenomenon known as Project Runway. However, long before Heidi Klum topped Forbes’ list of highest-earning models in 2008, she was already a legit icon while younger women were still learning the business. She became a sex symbol through Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issues and a pop-culture superstar through appearances in numerous films and TV shows. As the ultimate renaissance woman of the 2000s, Heidi Klum is the fine wine of supermodels.

Before our top pick takes to the runway, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Isabeli Fontana
- Agyness Deyn
- Freja Beha Erichsen
- Gemma Ward
- Karen Elson

Gisele’s history of catwalk carnage is sprawling and vast. She’s known as the “boobs from Brazil” and innovated the horse walk, which marked a new era for the modeling industry. Gisele kicked off the decade by signing a record-breaking deal to become a Victoria’s Secret Angel and by 2009, “The Independent” called her “the biggest star in fashion history.” She’s not only regarded as the ultimate supermodel by many of her peers, but also as one of the most powerful women in the entertainment industry. We salute you, Gisele Bündchen, and you are cordially invited to blow our minds forever.

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