From Rihanna to David Beckham, the richest celebs who’ve made big money from selling smalls
POP megastar Rihanna is on her way to becoming a billionaire – partly thanks to her knickers.
She has made £120million from her lingerie line Savage X Fenty, taking her fortune to £468million, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.
Last year Rihanna even splashed out £30million on a plush pad in London.
Her music career, make-up line and multi-million-pound underwear brand all contribute to her enormous worth.
But the 32-year-old Bajan babe is not the only famous name who has made big money from selling smalls.
Here, Clemmie Fieldsend reveals the knicker rich list featuring the personal fortunes of celebs who have put their name to underwear lines.
10. Maura Higgins - £1million
LOVE Island 2019 star Maura has made her reality fortune in record time.
The 29-year-old Irish beauty has cashed in thanks to bagging £500,000 from both clothing brand Boohoo and lingerie giant Ann Summers.
When she launched her first collection with the undies brand in October last year, the former grid girl said: “I want to encourage women to feel confident about themselves and have the courage to stand up for what they want, so Ann Summers is the perfect partner.
USP: Knockout, racey sets.
9. David Gandy - £13million
ESSEX-born David was catapulted to fame when his buff bod bagged a contract with Dolce & Gabbana to be the face of their menswear.
Following the success of the campaign David, 40, was snapped up in 2014 by Marks & Spencer for its smalls, sleepwear and swimwear.
Launching a new line for the High Street chain a year later, the model said: “I’ve been overwhelmed by the success of both the debut underwear and loungewear collection and the swimwear range.”
USP: Comfort and style.
8. Dita Von Teese - £16million
QUEEN of burlesque Dita fell in love with lingerie at just 15 years old after landing a job in an underwear store.
In 2012 the American model launched her own lingerie line called Von Follies, featuring a range of corsets and 1920s-inspired pieces with loads of lace and ribbons.
Dita, 47, said: “I wanted to create pieces that enhance the feminine silhouette and make each woman who wears my range feel sexy and glamorous.”
USP: Curve-enhancing bodies and corsets.
7. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley - £30million
THE supermodel was signed up by Marks & Spencers bosses in 2012 to give their ladies’ undies a glam makeover.
Rosie, 33, said: “Everybody shops there. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got a massive income or not. I bought my first bra from there.”
Eight years later her delicate smalls are one of the High Street chain’s biggest sellers.
An estimated one in 50 women in the UK owns a Rosie bra, with the brand selling 24million a year.
USP: Everyday comfort in feminine designs.
6. Liam Payne - £46million
MULTI-MILLION selling boy band One Direction may have split in 2015, but that hasn’t stopped Liam bringing in the money, though not for his solo music.
The 26-year-old teamed up with Hugo Boss for his first collection in 2019, with promo shots of Liam lying in bed with a naked Stella Maxwell. The steamy shots earned him a clip round the ear from his mum.
Liam proudly said: “Before the deal with Hugo I’d gone into my gym and said, ‘I’m going to get an underwear commercial’. I just wanted to do it. I knew I could do it.”
USP: Designer, bold coloured briefs.
5. Elle Macpherson - £95million
“THE Body” is famous for her endless legs but her business nous saw her launch the first model underwear collection, Intimates in 1989.
Elle was dropped and replaced by Heidi Klum but created her own range, named Elle Macpherson Body, in 2016.
The 56-year-old created stylish lingerie for athletic women who want to feel supported and still look sexy.
She says: “I wanted to make underwear that says you can be beautiful, strong, sexy, sporty and cool, and also be comfortable.”
USP: Intricate detailing for showing off under clothing.
4. Heidi Klum - £120million
BLONDE bombshell Heidi’s career spans 28 years thanks to her impressive lingerie modelling skills.
After more than a decade strutting the catwalk as a Victoria’s Secret Angel, the American-German supermodel moved on to promoting her own undies collection, Heidi Klum Intimates.
The partnership with lingerie expert Bendon resulted in huge profits.
USP: Delicate detailing and bust-boosting shapes.
3. David Beckham - £339million
GOLDEN Balls has more talents than just playing football and has racked up a huge payday.
The 45-year-old may have retired from soccer but still makes cash from underwear ranges with H&M, Calvin Klein and M&S.
Kicking off his first collection of boxers in 2012 with H&M, his chiselled looks and the designer-inspired undies made them a hit.
Ambitious Becks said at the launch: “I’d like this to be as big as Calvin Klein in underwear” – and it certainly was.
USP: Designer-inspired briefs.
2. Kim Kardashian - £350million
THE 39-year-old reality star started out in Keeping Up With The Kardashians, with “momager” Kris helping her cash in on the clan’s dramatic rise to fame.
She went on to make millions from selling perfume, clothing and make-up.
Kim’s shapewear brand came out last June but its Japanese name Kimono was slammed for cultural appropriation. The line was relaunched three months later as Skims.
It made nearly £2million in the first few minutes it went live. To put that into context, rival Spanx made £3.2million in its first year.
USP: Stylish shapewear for all skin tones.
1. Rihanna - £468million
SHE is known globally for her hits – and Rihanna is also raking it in with her lingerie brand Savage X Fenty, which has made more than £120million since it was launched in May 2018.
Describing her line, she said: “I want to see it on a curvy girl with thighs and a little bit of booty and hips.”
Using models of various body shapes has helped Riri reach a big audience.
USP: Sexy sets in a wide range of sizes.
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