Alexis Ren Sizzles on the Shores of Aruba With SI Swimsuit

The content creator, entrepreneur and actress made her debut with the magazine in 2018.

Alexis Ren was photographed by Yu Tsai in Aruba. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Alexis Ren made her SI Swimsuit debut in 2018, traveling to the pristine sandy shores of Aruba with photographer Yu Tsai. While on location with the team, the model tapped into ballet core vibes with cute pastel pink colorways and lace numbers and even donned the most glamorous itty-bitty gold sequined bikini. It was a spectacular feature that we often fondly look back on and one that earned her the coveted Rookie of the Year title.

The 27-year-old was discovered in her hometown of Santa Monica, Calif. at the age of 13, was one of the first Brandy Melville models, and hasn’t looked back since. The classically trained ballerina has posed for major brands including RVCA, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Versace.

Ren was an internet sensation and content creator before the job was as mainstream and financially rewarding as it is today. While she still shares her aesthetic dreamy travel content and modeling images, now, she’s also using her platform for good and shares mental and physical wellness posts. As the co-founder of the online community We Are Warriors, Ren is dedicated to connecting like-minded women to each other, but also to a network of valuable resources, workouts, lifestyle advice and knowledge.

“I always knew community was important, but growing up in LA without a steady tribe and moving between different groups of friends, I never truly grasped the impact that a strong community can have. Founding We Are Warriors changed that for me. Seeing how we all lifted each other up, shared the same goals, and supported one another through everything made me realize that community isn’t just something enjoyable—it’s a fundamental necessity in our lives,” Ren explained. “I believe the most important question to ask yourself is, ‘How do you want to leave your imprint on this world? What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind when you inevitably depart?’ From there, start working backward. I’ve found that when you begin with the end in mind, it puts everything into perspective in a really beautiful way.”

Ren is also the co-host of the Easy A podcast and an actress. She starred alongside Antonio Banderas in 2022’s The Enforcer and played a lead role in Latency earlier this year.

Below are some of our favorite photos from her 2018 SI Swimsuit feature with Yu Tsai in Aruba.

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated