Celebrate Achieng Agutu’s Birthday With a Look at Some of Our Fave Sun-Soaked Snapshots

What better way to ring in ‘National Achieng Agutu Day’ than with a peek at her gorgeous SI Swimsuit features?

Achieng Agutu was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. Swimsuit by Camila Coelho. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Achieng Agutu is celebrating her birthday, and we here at SI Swimsuit are joining in on the festivities.

The Kenya native and Vogue-proclaimed “Confidence Queen” hopped on Instagram this afternoon to share a look at how she’s ringing in her latest spin around the sun, writing in the caption, “Happy national Achieng Agutu Day🥳 Drink some champagwegwesh for me bestie.” In the short video clip, Agutu stood before a beautifully decorated table adorned with flowers, blowing out the candles on her tasty-looking cake.

You can check out Agutu’s birthday post here!

What she wished for may be a secret, but what we’re wishing for is another look back at this model’s two incredible SI Swimsuit shoots! With that in mind, let’s take a peek at just a handful of our fave snapshots featuring this stylish superstar from over the years.

2024: A debut to remember

Achieng Agutu was photographed by Yu Tsai in Mexico. Swimsuit by Monday Swimwear. Earrings by Monies provided by New York Vintage. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

If the words “golden hour” were to somehow come to life and jump off the computer screen, they would likely transform into this fashionable feature. Balancing on a boat bobbing just off the sandy shores of Mexico, the birthday girl was a vision in her designer two-piece set by BFYNE, which had a fun and flirtatious edge thanks to its unique design.

Achieng Agutu was photographed by Yu Tsai in Mexico. Swimsuit by Monday Swimwear. Earrings by SOKO. Necklace provided by New York Vintage. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Still, the real star here was, of course, the woman wearing the two-piece—and despite being her debut shoot with the brand, Agutu posed like a pro while being photographed by Yu Tsai. And that should come as no surprise, given this experienced model, host and confidence queen’s endless reign over looking and feeling fabulous.

View Agutu’s full Mexico gallery here!

Achieng Agutu was photographed by Yu Tsai in Mexico. Swimsuit by Andrea Iyamah. Bracelets by Alexis Bittar. Earrings by JOHANNA ORTIZ VACATION. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

“It was the most beautiful, affirming, life-changing experience of my life, and I’m just so grateful that that is something that I can experience in this lifetime—and to that, I tell you if not now, then when?” She shared with the brand, looking back on her rookie feature and encouraging other interested models to apply to the SI Swimsuit Swim Search open casting call, adding, “You have the talent, the charisma, the passion, the determination to succeed—so why not you?”

2025: An encore performance

Achieng Agutu was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. Swimsuit by iNAMORATA WOMAN. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

As it turned out, Agutu was just warming up in 2024 when it came to cementing her place on the pages of the magazine. She kicked things up a notch when she returned in 2025 for her second feature, when she was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda wearing a colorful array of swimsuits from designers like iNAMORATA WOMAN, IZTALI SWIM and JMP The Label.

Achieng Agutu was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. Swimsuit by IZTALI SWIM. Necklace by Andi Bagus. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

“To every young queen and wise woman—**this is our story, and we are the authors.** Being in the SI Swimsuit Issue once again is a powerful celebration of every curve, every shade, every story that makes us fierce,” Agutu penned in the caption of an Instagram post shared after the 2025 magazine hit newsstands. “This is more than a feature; it’s a movement.”

View Agutu’s full Bermuda gallery here!

Achieng Agutu was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. Suit by JMP The Label. Necklaces by Spicy Dan. Sunglasses by Le Specs. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

All in all, if this birthday girl has one distilled message to share with her fans, it’s likely what she told the brand: “You have to be so disrespectfully and unapologetically obsessed with yourself—there is LITERALLY no other choice bestie.”

We’re wishing our confidence queen a very happy birthday—long may her fabulousness reign!

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