The modeling scene is generally considered the female industry. The richest and most popular personalities in the industry are females like , and so on. There are many theories for why that is and we would have loved to dive into a scientific analysis of the social dynamic that makes the modeling industry a predominantly female world, but we have a list of the top 10 black male models we want you to gawk at all day.
Being a model is a spectacularly difficult industry. The politics of the profession aside, the very fact that it is an industry about the expression of the perfection and beauty of the human body means those who choose to be models have the responsibility of keeping their body in the most perfect condition which requires extreme discipline. They are not allowed to engage in the guilty pleasures regular men and women like us engage in, like a slice of cake at 1 am in the morning, etc.
With the physical and body challenges, combined with the gender imbalance of the industry and the lingering effects of racism, black male models in the industry are in the minority and certainly do not share the popularity of the female counterparts. Regardless of the social status imbalance, it doesn’t stop us from admiring these men in perfect human form.
10 Black Male Models We Can Admire All Day
1. Tyson Beckford
We are not particularly sure if modeling is something one stumbles on to because of one’s great looks or an innate desire one develops from interaction with one’s environment, whatever it is, it led to become the greatest male model of all time, not just as a black man. This Afro-Jamaican hunk is known as the face of Ralph Lauren Polo and has been named in several lists that specialize in the admiration of the physical body including being named among 50 Most Beautiful People in the World by People Magazine.
Through his popularity and looks, he has scored several gigs, securing contracts that have made him one of the richest models in the world on par with female models who generally earn a lot more. Tyson Beckford is also an actor who has starred in films like Zoolander, Hotel California, Addicted and Chocolate City.
2. Adonis Bosso
Adonis Bosso is a name that rolls off the tongue and makes you want to lick the face of whoever bears it, that desire is further heightened when you look at Adonis and see the wonderful specimen standing in front of you. The Ivory Coast-born model was discovered by talent scouts in 2012 and has since gone on to walk runways for international brands like Vivienne Westwood and Z Zegna. When the product directors and marketing team of H&M decided to sign Adonis as one of the faces of the brand, his career exploded into a ginormous ball of success. Some of his notable shoots star him alongside music and fashion icon, Rihanna. He has also been a part of campaigns for Dolce & Gabbana and Levi’s.
In the modeling industry, he has received accolades like the runner-up for the 2015 Model of The Year.
3. Fernando Cabral
One-half of two brothers whose looks are proof of the miracle of genes. The Portuguese model leaves you visibly shaken with admiration when you observe his bone structure and smooth ebony skin. The relationship he cultivates with clothing during shoots has made him a unique model and it has prompted contracts by some of the world’s biggest brands like H&M.
He broke onto the scene in 2010 and has been in constant demand by brands like Hugo Boss, Jacob Sutton, and Balmain. He has been named Model of the Year by the Portuguese GQ in 2016. As if it wasn’t enough to be smitten by his looks, he is also a philanthropist who is a part of an NGO that helps build schools in Guinea Bissau, his country of birth.
4. Armando Cabral
The second half of the Cabral brothers. He is ranked in the top 50 of male models on top model site, models.com. At some point in a career that started in the early 2000s, he was the only black male model working in Paris. Armando has worked for brands like Balmain, which he did alongside his brother, he has also worked for J Crew, and H&M.
A graduate of Business Administration, Armando has his own shoe brand named Armando which has global demand. He moved to Portugal together with his brother and his parents when he was six.
5. Brad Allen
The Caribbean country of Jamaica is known for many things, her patois, her music, her women, her athletic prowess, but rarely do you find it at the top of the Modelling Industry. That became old news when Brad Allen was scouted by Saint International, the country’s leading modeling agency. A man who had dreams of living on military bases and going to war as a soldier, he suffered a redirection to the satisfaction of our own eyes.
Since he embraced life as a model, he has modeled for brands like Polo Ralph Lauren as the face of the brand’s 2018 campaign, Tom Ford, Zara. His runway resume reads like the shopping receipt of a celebrity – Calvin Klein, Balmain, Emporio Armani, Givenchy, Hermes are just some of the luxury brands he has had the opportunity to model for.
6. Alpha Dia
They say when it is your time, it is your time. That is the simple statement that best describes the career of Alpha Dia who has stormed his way onto the scene in 2017. He worked a total of 43 runways in the first half of 2018. He has been the face of campaigns for Versace, the Italian Vogue magazine, Kein magazine.
His 43 runway effort as spurred 13 globe-trotting trips for the Senegalese model who was discovered while working in a bar in Hamburg, Germany. He has worked for brands like Prada, Iceberg, Pirelli, Lidl. Alpha Dia currently lives in Germany.
7. Jonny Brown
Jonny Brown is another Jamaican model who leaves us dazzled with his enchanting looks. He has made a name for himself modeling for brands Louis Vuitton through which he debuted as a model on the runway in 2016. Since 2016, Jonny Brown has worked for other brands like ACNE Studios, Etro, Lavin. As one of the prettiest faces in the black model space, he has graced the front of magazines like L’Uomo Vogue, Hunger and T Magazine.
Brown got started in the modeling industry through Dewight Peters, a Caribbean model scout. His other brand projects were for Paul Smith and Gucci.
8. Ty Ogunkoya
His full name is Akintayo Ogunkoya but to those in the business, he goes by Ty Ogunkoya or simply Ty. The materials engineering graduate is not stuck in the lab but he is endlessly strutting his stuff for different brands both on the runway and for campaigns which brands just can’t seem to get tired of him for.
The Nigerian born model has been booked for different campaigns by big brands like Armani, Abercrombie & Fitch, Levis, Dior, Benetton, Scotch, and Soda. He started as a runway model in New York’s Fashion Week in 2008 and has been going from one accomplishment to the other.
If you have your eyes set on him, averse it as Ty is a married man who recently got married to his girlfriend and fellow model, Billie Brown.
9. Sacha M’Baye
Depending on your perspective, the short shelf life of a modeling career is one of its negatives about the profession. However, whilst many would hit that dreaded the late 20s as models and see modeling opportunities dry up for them, Sacha has been racking up gig offers, with brands and magazines defying industry standards to put his great body and gorgeous face in their various products.
He continues to maintain an impressive roster of clients like Emporio Armani, Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana. Sacha M’baye who was born in France but was in the city of London was discovered while he was on the famous London tube. Since then, he has signed with Select Models and has become one of the world’s most sought-after black models.
As a London raised boy, Sacha M’Baye also has a deep interest in soccer and he moonlights as a semi-professional soccer player when he is not on the runway or in the studio shooting for campaigns. Other notable brands he has modeled for ae Burberry, Forever 21, Tommy Hilfiger.
10. Sol Goss
He is known in the industry as Sol Goss but his full name is Solfi Michael Goss. One of the stars of the current crop of black models. He was handpicked by Alexander Wang to be the face of its brand’s Spring/Summer 2016 lookbook and since then, Sol Goss has been climbing to the top of the game.
He has worked for other notable international brands like Burberry, Alexander McQueen, Coach, Louis Vuitton, Micheal Kors, among others. He has worked several runway shows and was the first black model to open for Louis Vuitton on the runway in decades. He was the face of H&M’s 2017 campaign and he also has four magazine cover gigs to his name.
Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.
