Danielle Herrington How You've Never Seen Her Before

Danielle Herrington has broken barriers from the moment she stepped onto the scene. In 2018, just three years after she seriously began to pursue modeling, she graced the SI Swimsuit cover, making her the third Black woman to achieve this milestone. (She followed Tyra Banks and Beyonce.) As a Compton, Calif., native Herrington is outspoken about supporting the Black community and young girls pursuing their dreams. The LaQuan Smith runway model uses social media as a platform to share her message and prove that staying true to yourself and hard work leads to great things.

Exclusive behind the scenes of Danielle Herrington in Hollywood, FL wearing a LaQuan Smith.

MJ Day: Why Danielle?

Danielle has evolved into such a powerful woman and is taking ownership of how she wants to be represented. For this year’s shoot she expressed to us her desire to wear her hair in braids. As an in-demand, constantly working model, she hasn’t been able to do that since she was 13. We immediately said yes and she showed up on set as the most confident, vibrant and happiest version of herself. The industry often dictates how women can present themselves and we wanted to give Danielle a space to choose how she would be represented. Working with her is always a highlight of our year and we love that she pushes us and encourages us to keep creating an environment for women to be seen and heard. We can’t wait to see what Danielle does next.

Exclusive behind the scenes of Danielle Herrington in Hollywood, FL wearing a LaQuan Smith.

Tune in every day at 9 AM EST to see who will be gracing the pages of SI Swimsuit 2021! Follow @SI_Swimsuit to keep up with all the exciting news!

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