Chanel Iman Returns to SI Swimsuit After 3 Kids in Celebration of Women

The four-time brand model felt like coming back to the fold this year was ‘perfect.’

Chanel Iman / Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Returning to the SI Swisuit Issue after almost 10 years away “feels incredible,” American model Chanel Iman said on the Hard Rock Hotel red carpet in New York City on Thursday, May 16. She was there to celebrate the launch of the 60th anniversary issue, which brought her first brand feature since 2016.

Iman made her debut with the brand exactly a decade ago, when she traveled to Madagascar to pose for photographer Derek Kettela. She returned the two years following, heading to Utah and then Zanzibar for her second and third features, respectively.

Since that last feature in the magazine, a lot has changed for the 33-year-old. She had two children with her ex-husband, NFL wide receiver Sterling Shepard. And last fall, she had her third child with Davon Godchaux, a New England Patriots defensive tackle. They tied the knot in early 2024 in a beautiful destination wedding with their children by their side.

Chanel Iman / Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Returning to the SI Swimsuit Issue after having three kids felt fitting for Iman. “I just felt like, ‘You know what—why not?,’” she explained to us on the red carpet. “The issue is about celebrating women, and I felt like it was perfect for me to be in this issue.”

It’s the same mindset that she shares at home with her three daughters. “I always tell them that beauty is within,” she explained.

For the Georgia native’s fourth brand feature she traveled to Belize, where she was photographed by Derek Kettela, for the 60th anniversary issue.