21 HOTTEST MODELS 2021

BY: Andy Shoulders

GRACE ELIZABETH

Stunner Grace Elizabeth got her start back in 2015 when her parents sent her pictures to Next Model Management. The agency quickly sent her to work in its New York division, and she soon landed print campaigns for Guess and Ralph Lauren. She gained the (at the time) coveted title of Victoria’s Secret Angel in 2019 and continues to walk the runway for high-fashion brands like Moschino, Versace, and Fendi.

 

MONA TOUGAARD

Danish fashion model Mona Tougaard was discovered when she was just 12 years old and won the Elite Model Look Denmark contest when she was 15. She made her professional modeling debut as a Prada exclusive in 2019, and within two seasons, she had walked over 40 shows (opening for both Loewe and Fendi). Vogue even caught wind of her during her debut year, noting that she “swept Paris fashion week, landing nearly all the city’s key shows.”

 

NOAH LUIS BROWN

Noah Luis Brown broke into fashion in 2017 with a debut in Louis Vuitton’s Fall/Winter show. He’s got many covers and campaigns under his belt, including Vogue Italia, Versace, and Calvin Klein. Brown has a resume most industry veterans would love to have, and to think – this all happened after he was scouted on Instagram in 2015.

 

PALOMA ELSESSER

Discovered on Instagram by cosmetics expert Pat McGrath, Paloma Elsesser initially moved to New York City to study psychology and literature. However, after that chance encounter with McGrath, Elsesser exploded onto the fashion scene, modeling for everyone from Fenty Beauty to Mercedes-Benz. She even made her acting debut in 2019’s Adam Sandler film Uncut Gems.

 

ADUT AKECH

More or less a supermodel by now, the stunning Adut Akech was scouted multiple times as a young teen before finally signing with Chadwick Models in Sydney at the age of 16. She later signed with Elite in Paris, and from there, Akech took off. She’s done campaigns for YSL, Moschino, and Valentino and has walked for literally every designer out there right now. She won Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2019 and will be one to watch for years to come.

 

MALICK BODIAN

Senegalese-Italian model Malick Bodian has a face much more famous than his name. You’ve seen him everywhere, from his Hugo Boss and Dior campaigns to his fantastic work with Salvatore Ferragamo. However, Bodian doesn’t just have a knack for working it in front of the camera; he’s also an avid photographer, having released his editorial spread “Time of Your Life” in VMAN magazine last year.

 

JILL KORTLEVE

Perhaps best known as the exclusive face of Alexander McQueen’s Spring/Summer 2019 show, Jill Kortleve was born and raised in the Netherlands and was scouted by her best friend in Amsterdam. Fast forward to 2020, when she became the first plus-size model to walk Chanel’s runway since 2010. She’s walked countless runways since, from Michael Kors to Prabal Gurung.

 

JHONATTAN BURJACK

Jhonattan Burjack, or “Jhona” for short, is a Brazilian model known for his bushy eyebrows and an insane six-pack. He has appeared in numerous fashion publications, including Attitude, British GQ, and L’Uomo Vogue. His favorite designer is Jeremy Scott, which inevitably led him to appear in several Moschino runway shows.

 

HE CONG

Chinese model, He Cong smashed the Fall/Winter 2017 season, having walked an almost unheard-of 42 shows. From Bottega Veneta to Burberry, her catwalking style is definitive, fierce, and memorable. Her intro to the fashion world was quite fortunate – she caught the eye of Valentino after attending its special show in Shanghai in 2013. She opened and closed the show, and the rest is history.

 

FABIO MANCINI

Georgio Armani’s favorite Fabio Mancini has been one of the designer’s top male models for the last eleven years, both on the runway and in campaigns. He was the face of Armani’s new Sensual Collection underwear line in 2014 and became the ambassador for Pierre Cardin’s underwear line just two years later. So it’s easy to see why – the guy looks fantastic in briefs, and we love it.

 

KAIA GERBER

You know her name by now. The daughter of legendary supermodel Cindy Crawford, Kaia Gerber followed in her mother’s footsteps and has become one of the world’s most well-known models. She won Model of the Year at 2017’s British Fashion Awards and has done countless campaigns and runways since then. She landed her first Vogue cover last year and will soon add acting to her resume when she appears in the tenth season of FX’s American Horror Story.

 

ABBY CHAMPION

Former competitive cheerleader and current modeling powerhouse Abby Champion is signed with six agencies at the moment, so needless to say, the girl is busy. Born and raised in Alabama, Champion started as a freelance model for Soca Clothing and Kristalize Jewelry. Now a famous name in fashion, Champion most recently shot Massimo Dutti’s Spring/Summer 2021 trend guide called Sorbet Check.

 

ADAM SENN

American model Adam Senn has been in both the modeling and acting games for a while. He started modeling in 2002, when he began working consistently for Gucci, Dsquared, and Tommy Hilfiger. Senn has quite the acting resume, too, having starred in several TV shows and films (probably most notably playing bisexual basketball player Zero in VH1’s Hit the Floor from 2014 to 2016). One thing you probably don’t know about him – he’s a co-owner of the well-known restaurant Bocca di Bacco in New York City.

 

MIKA SCHNEIDER

Born to a Japanese mother and French father, Mika Schneider’s striking look has landed her numerous modeling gigs for Prada and Louis Vuitton. However, it was Prada’s Spring/Summer 2020 show that essentially got her discovered by the rest of the fashion world, and by the end of the Fall/Winter season, she had walked in no less than 27 shows. A child of the world, Schneider is trilingual – fluent in Japanese, French, and English.

 

BRIAN SHIMANSKY

You’ve probably seen Brian Shimansky’s face in Versace’s Eros fragrance campaigns. The blue-eyed hunk, scouted at a John Mayer concert back in 2008, has also appeared in ads for Moncler and Dolce & Gabbana and editorials in magazines such as GQ Portugal Hercules and magazines L’Officiel Hommes Singapore. Don’t count him out as just another pretty face, though. Shimansky is also a burgeoning furniture designer.

 

KEROLYN SOARES

Hailing from Brazil, Kerolyn Soares quickly became one of the breakout stars of 2020 thanks to her gazelle-like runway strut and striking features (quite reminiscent of androgynous fashion icon Omahyra Mota). But, of course, Soares had dreams of becoming a fashion designer before ever stepping foot on the catwalk. Still, now that all the fashion houses have their eyes on her, she’ll be one to watch.

 

MAYOWA NICHOLAS

After becoming a finalist in 2014’s Elite Model Look contest, Nigerian beauty Mayowa Nicholas made her runway debut the following year, walking for Balmain, Balenciaga, and Kenzo. She recently worked with Miu Miu and Oscar de la Renta and became the first Nigerian model to star in Dolce & Gabbana, Saint Laurent, and Calvin Klein campaigns.

 

UGBAD

Ugbad Abdi, who usually goes by her first name Ugbad (total boss move), was born in Somalia and raised in a Kenyan refugee camp. She made her runway debut in Valentino’s 2018/2019 haute couture show and was soon named one of Fall 2019’s breakout models. It was easy to see why: in April that year, she appeared in the British, American, and Arabian editions of Vogue simultaneously.

 

ALPHA DIA

Senegalese model Alpha Dia was scouted in a bar in Hamburg, Germany, by photographer Christian Bendel and was quickly signed by Germany’s Modelwerk agency. His worldwide popularity grew from there, and he soon became the face of Salvatore Ferragamo, Givenchy, and H&M. Dia’s achievements extend far beyond the catwalk, though. Last year, he built the Alpha Dia Foundation, which helped raise nearly 5000 Euros in just 24 hours for his hometown of Grand Dakkar in Senegal during the initial outbreak of COVID-19.

 

JAMES TURLINGTON

He’s the nephew of supermodel Christy Turlington, so it only made sense that James Turlington had model looks in his genes. Something you might not know, however, is that James was on his way to becoming a breakout baseball star and was part of the 2016 Dodgers Draft class. However, famed model agency IMG set its sights on James and signed him in 2019. But, of course, his striking resemblance to his aunt didn’t hurt him, either. He was cast as her son in Calvin Klein and Ann Taylor ads as a toddler.

 

AJOK MADEL

Born in a South Sudanese refugee camp in Kenya and raised in Perth, Australia, Ajok Madel quickly became a rising star in the modeling world and is currently one of Model.com’s Top 50 Models. She’s certainly earned it, having walked for everyone from Fendi to Mugler. She’s also fronted eyewear campaigns for Tom Ford and appeared on the digital cover of Vogue Thailand in May of last year.