NEW YORK — Instagram has become one of the most powerful stages in the fashion world, turning models into global brands, business founders and some of the most sought-after voices in advertising.

In 2026, the app remains central to how the fashion and beauty industries market products, discover talent and reach consumers. A small group of models dominates that space, commanding audiences in the tens or even hundreds of millions and shaping trends that ripple from runways to shopping carts.

Follower counts shifted this year after Meta carried out a large cleanup of fake, inactive and bot accounts across Instagram in May 2026, and almost every top account lost followers overnight. Even so, the platform's leading models remain among its most influential users.

Here are 10 models worth following this year, based on reach, industry influence and cultural impact.

1. Kendall Jenner (@kendalljenner)

Kendall Jenner is the most followed model on Instagram by a wide margin. As of late September, her account had about 277 million followers, ranking her among the most followed people on the platform.

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Jenner first became widely known through her family's reality series, "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," before building a high-fashion career with brands including Chanel, Versace and Givenchy. She is among the highest-paid runway models in the world despite walking fewer shows than many of her peers, and she has expanded into business with 818 Tequila.

Her feed is notably more restrained than those of her famous siblings, mixing campaign images, travel and occasional personal moments.

2. Gigi Hadid (@gigihadid)

Gigi Hadid rose to fame in the mid-2010s and quickly became one of the defining faces of her generation of models. With roughly 76 million followers, she ranks behind only Jenner among the most followed women in modeling.

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Hadid remains a fixture of high-fashion editorials and runway shows,........

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