Swimsuit

7 of Our Favorite Photos From the Stunning Chanel Iman’s Idyllic Photoshoot in Madagascar

It was the first of three consecutive SI Swimsuit features for the American model.

Martha Zaytoun

Chanel Iman poses in front of a hanging hammock chair in a green bikini and smiles off into the distance.

Chanel Iman was photographed by Derek Kettela in Madagascar. 

In 2014, American model Chanel Iman made her debut with SI Swimsuit. She traveled to Madagascar with photographer Derek Kettela for her first of three consecutive features in the annual magazine.

While the rookie was new to the SI Swimsuit set, she certainly wasn’t new to the modeling industry in general. When she was only 16 years old, she moved to New York City to pursue a career in the industry. “I’ve been modeling ever since and traveling all over the world,” she explained of her career.

Even with her years of modeling experience, hearing that she had landed a feature in the 2014 issue “was a dream come true,” she said. “Being here in Madagascar is just a fairytale.”

She considered the location a “paradise,” and we completely agree. It certainly made for the most idyllic backdrop for her beautiful snaps. And perhaps the most stunning was coincidentally Iman’s favorite photo from the whole trip: one of her standing on top of the wooden beams of an old sailboat. “I think they’re incredible,” she said of the handful of photographs.

The incredible rookie feature earned her two more with the publication: a 2015 trip to Utah and a 2016 adventure in Zanzibar. And, while they all made for a surreal series of images, today we’re taking a look back at the one that started it all. Below are some of the stunning photos from her debut in Madagascar.

Chanel Iman leans on a wooden boat, wearing a multicolored bikini and gold jewelry. She smiles at the camera.
Chanel Iman sits in a wooden boat in a neon bikini and poses for the camera.
Chanel Iman stands on the sand beach in a coral patterned bikini and smiles at the camera.
Chanel Iman stands on the wooden beams of a boat and poses in a black and white bikini.
Chanel Iman lays on the sand in a green and black tie-dyed bikini.
Chanel Iman poses before a tree trunk in a multicolored bikini. There are two monkeys standing on the branches next to her.
Chanel Iman leans against a wooden boat in a strapless berry-colored bikini and smiles for the camera.

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Martha Zaytoun
MARTHA ZAYTOUN

Martha Zaytoun is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Before joining SI Swimsuit in 2023, she worked on the editorial board of the University of Notre Dame’s student magazine and on the editorial team at Chapel Hill, Durham and Chatham Magazines in North Carolina. When not working, Zaytoun loves to watercolor and oil paint, run and water ski. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a huge Fighting Irish fan.

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