Top 10 Models of 2011

This year, like previous years, has brought upon us a new crop of male models who challenged the status quo and added extra competition to models who've already been in the modeling game. Below are the 10 models who had an exceptional year; some are veterans, while others are brand new and made quite an impression on the industry. (Listed in alphabetical order)

Alexander Beck Agencies: DNA, Bananas, FM Agency, D'Mgmt, & View	Alex Beck end his first year of modeling with a resume longer than some models entire career. The strong-browed model broke onto the scene in Milan by appearing on Miuccia Prada's FW11 runway in January as an exclusive and from there, he was on a vertical trajectory going up! He walked over 30 shows in the SS12 season and racked up 3 lucrative campaigns, including Yves Saint Laurent's FW11.
Clement  Chabernaud Agencies: Wilhelmina, Success, FM Agency, D'Mgmt, & Sight	Clement Chabernaud's look has universal appeal. Don't believe us? Look at his very lengthy and impressive resume. He walks virtually every show that matters from Prada to Louis Vuitton to Hermes. He also consistently appears in numerous campaigns every season. In 2011, he appeared in the campaigns for Salvatore Ferragamo, Adidas SLVR, Kenzo FW11, as well as Swedish mega-retailer H&M.
Benjamin Eidem Agencies: Re:Quest, Nathalie, & Elite Milan/London	Much like Alexander Beck before him, Benjamin Eidem ends 2011 with a very impressive freshman year. The handsome Swede was also a Prada exclusive, opening and closing the SS12 show back in June 2011. He also opened and closed  Louis Vuitton's SS12 show and appeared on the runway of French luxury house Chanel. He also racked up two campaigns in 2011: Margaret Howell and cK Calvin Klein.
Harry Goodwins Agencies: Ford, Fashion Milan, Models1, Bananas & View	Harry Goodwins strong cheekbones helped him relaunch his modeling career after a short break. The British model appeared in Miuccia Prada's SS11 campaign, as well as Zegna Sport's FW11 campaign. Harry also appeared in some stunning editorials in 2011 as well, and walked shows like DSquared2, Viktor&Rolf, and Bottega Veneta.
Simon Nessman Agencies: Soul Artist, Storm, Ford Europe, & I Love Mgmt	Simon Nessman is one of the hardest working male models. The Canadian-born model is one of the most bankable male models around. His list of runway shows, campaigns and editorials is almost unrivaled in the male modeling world. A small sampling of his campaign work for 2011 include Emporio Armani, Ralph Lauren, D&G, Calvin Klein Swimwear, and Cerruti. Simon also walked as an exclusive for Michael Kors in 2011 and appeared in both of Kors' campaigns this year.
Victor Nylander Agencies: Wilhelmina & Ford Europe	Some might look at Victor Nylander and not think he could join the ranks of Simon Nessman, Clement Chabernaud and Sean O'Pry because he has such exaggerated features that some design houses might not "get". You'd be wrong however. The Danish model had a landmark year and appeared in campaigns for Dior Homme and Versace, as well as appearing in numerous runways in New York, Paris, Milan and Copenhagen.
Sean O'Pry Agency: VNY	The only people on this list that comes close to Sean O'Pry in terms of quality and quantity of work would be Clement Chabernaud and Simon Nessman. The Georgia-born model was plucked from obscurity by VNY's founder when she found his MySpace profile. Since then, Sean's feline features have been shot for some of the most venerable and lucrative campaigns like Versace and Calvin Kein. He's also the face of Viktor&Rolf's new fragrance campaign; he also appears in the campaigns for mass-retailers GAP, H&M and Zara. Sean also achieved a giant coup in 2011 by unseating Karl Lagerfeld's muse Baptiste Giabiconi as the #1 ranked model by Models.com.
Andrej Pejic Agencies: DNA, Storm, D'Mgmt, New Madison & Chadwick	Andrej Pejic singlehandedly brought back the androgynous look. Andrej's stellar year included campaigns for Marc by Marc Jacobs and Jean Paul Gaultier. Andrej also made history by appearing in Gaultier's Haute Couture show by closing the show as the "Bride", as is tradition at haute couture shows. Andrej's appeal has expanded to the general public, many of whom still do not believe he has the anatomical features of a man. Adding to the confusion would be Andrej's latest campaign: as the face of Amsterdam-based lingerie company Hema's new push-up bra.
Nicolas Ripoll Agencies: Wilhelmina, Why Not, Models1, Bananas, & Traffic	Nicolas Ripoll had an exceptional year. Like Clement Chabernaud, he walks nearly every runway show that matters. The Argentinian model broke onto the scene by appearing on Prada's runway as an exclusive back in 2009. Fast forward to 2011 and Nicolas appears in Duvetica's SS11 campaign, as well as the face of Bottega Veneta FW11. The charismatic model consistently appears in some of the most eyecatching editorials, as well. Nicolas walked during New York Fashion Week for the first time this past September. He also appeared with Andrej Pejic for OUT's annual Power 100 issue.
River Viiperi Agencies: Soul Artist, Elite Milan/Barcelona, & Success	River Viiperi was told his look was too commercial for high fashion. The Spanish model, however, consistently proved those early naysayers wrong. His campaign work speaks for itself. He has a longstanding relationship with Spanish retailer Bershka, as well as appeared in the campaign for the most anticipated capsule collection of 2011: Versace for H&M.