For years the daughters of actors and rock stars have made good use of their genetics and worked as models, filling the catwalks, campaigns and, often more prolifically, gossip columns. Elizabeth Jagger, celeb sprog of Mick and Jerry Hall, has been modelling since she was 13; Daisy Lowe, daughter of Pearl Lowe and rock star Gavin Rossdale from Bush has posed for DKNY, Marc by Marc Jacobs and Pringle, and Pixie Geldof, daughter of Bob and Paula Yates has starred, among others, in campaigns for New Look and Agent Provocateur.

Pixie Geldof for New Look. Photo: nitrolicious.com

But now, it seems, in one of the only professions where the females clearly dominate (earning many times their male counterparts’ salaries), the boys are taking a stand – some of the sons of celebrities have been quietly building up lucrative catwalk careers.

Jesse Wood, son of Rolling Stone Ronnie; Jethro Lazenby Cave, son of Australian singer Nick Cave; and Max Irons, the son of actors Jeremy Irons and Sinéad Cusack; are just some of the male offspring of famous parents who have been making waves in the fashion world.

Bryan Ferry’s sons Otis and Isaac have both put their dapper and debonair good looks to use in the modelling world. Isaac first hit the catwalk aged just 16. An Eton schoolboy, he made his catwalk debut for Hedi Slimane’s Dior Homme label in Paris in 2001. He joined his brother, Otis, and Kate Moss to pose for a 1997 Burberry campaign. Now, younger brother Tara (yep, we can assure you he’s a brother, not sister) is making his move signing with London’s Independent Models.

Otis (left) and Isaac (right) pose with Stella Tennant, her daughter and Kate Moss in this 1997 Burberry ad. Photo: Mario Testino

Slimane, one of the most praised fashion designers of the past decade, has been particularly influential in bringing the boys to the forefront. Since leaving Dior Homme, he’s forged a successful career as a photographer and has been instrumental in launching the careers of a number of celebrity sons. He was one of the first to shoot photographer David Bailey’s son Fenton, who has appeared in campaigns for Agent Provocateur and Jaeger London and Jethro Lazenby Cave, son of Antipodean rock star Nick.

Pale-skinned Cave, also with Independent Models, was one of the standout models at June’s autumn/winter menswear shows in Paris and Milan and has modelled for labels including Balenciaga, Costume National and TopShop. During the Comme des Garçons show in Paris, his photograph appeared in the Press when he paid tribute to Michael Jackson by writing the words “RIP Smooth Criminal” on his arm. Cave, whose mother Beau is a former model, made his catwalk debut at L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Week three years ago at the age of just 15 and is now one of the most hotly tipped boys in the business.

Jethro Cave. Photo: davidreport.com

Jethro Cave in a Topman campaign. Photo: Collier Schorr

Following in the ‘sons of rockstars’ theme, son of the hell-raising Rolling Stones’ guitarist Ronnie, Jesse, 32, recently won a lucrative modelling offer from Calvin Klein. But the campaign will not only features the London-based guitarist – who is in a band called The Black Swan effect and signed to London’s Select agency – it will also feature his wife Tilly Wood, and their two children, Arthur, seven, and Lola, three.

Jesse Wood. Photo: whosdatedwho.com

Jesse Wood. Photo: selectmodels.com

Diverting away from the rock prodigy, entrepreneur Richard Branson’s 21-year-old son Sam, signed as a special booking with Storm, starred alongside the Ferry brothers in the Burberry’s campaign.

Sam Branson. Photo: stormmodels.com

And this autumn/winter, the new face of Mango menswear is Max Irons. Max is following his father into acting – the 24-year-old has a role in the film Dorian Gray – but managed to take time out to shoot the campaign. “I loved working with Mango,” he says. “I was flattered to be asked. The clothes have a Mediterranean feel and it’s nice to have that on the British high street.”

Max Irons. Photo: Francesco carozzinni

Employing a son of a famous musician for an ad campaign seems to immediately evoke something in the clothes that gives them rock-cool credibility, something which is easily sellable to male consumers. But unlike some of their female counterparts, the boys of celebrity offspring are seen but rarely heard – you’re unlikely to read about them stumbling drunk out of clubs, unlike the batch of London-based models such as Pixie, Daisy and co. It’s easy to put the success of these new male models down to nepotism, but the calibre of ad campaigns and catwalks featuring these famous sons means it could be more than just a passing fad.