2015′s Model of the Year Isn’t Kendall Jenner or Gigi Hadid

Lauren Tuck
·News Editor
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Anna Ewers at Balenciaga RTW Spring 2016.

2015 was Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner’s year. The model BFFs debuted together at the Victoria’s Secret fashion show, covered countless magazines, landed high-profile contracts, walked the most popular runways, and dominated social media. But while these young stars seemed to be everywhere, it wasn’t enough to earn either of them the title of Model of the Year (MOTY).

Models.com chose Anna Ewers as their MOTY, selected by 250 voters including Love magazine’s Katie Grand, French stylist Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele, W’s Edward Enniful, and various other heavy hitters. Ewers was selected as the “singular face that defined the year as a whole with ubiquitous industry demand and presence” by distinguishing herself with top-tier bookings and elevated visibility among her peers. For example, the German 22-year-old was shot by Inez & Vinoodh for the cover of British Vogue and appeared on various other international editions of the glossy, including Vogue Germany, Vogue Paris, and Vogue China. She also walked in Alexander Wang, Michael Kors, Tory Burch, and Emilio Pucci, to name a few. Additionally, she was featured in ad campaigns for Balenciaga, Chanel, Prada, and H&M,

But while an editor’s opinion is important (I guess?), readers were also given the opportunity to select their MOTY. And the woman you all wanted? The panel’s runner-up for the title: Gigi Hadid.

A few other awards were distributed as well: Comeback of the Year went to Derek Zoolander (even fictional characters deserve recognition!), Lucky Blue Smith secured Male Model of the Year and Social Media Model of the Year, and Justin Bieber won for Celebrity as Model, among others.

And don’t feel too bad for the losers. Not only are Hadid and Jenner at the beginning of their careers with a few million fans and commanding hundreds of thousands of dollars, they’ve also received plenty of other shiny trophies (Tumblr named Jenner, Hadid, and Cara Delevingne as their most reblogged models). And there are plenty more to come.

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