Gigi Hadid’s SI Swim Photo Shoot in Tahiti Will Make You Crave a Tropical Vacation

The three-time brand star posed for Yu Tsai in 2016 and the results are absolutely breathtaking.

Ananya Panchal | Jul 21, 2024

Gigi Hadid was photographed by Yu Tsai in Tahiti. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Gigi Hadid’s 2016 SI Swimsuit photo shoot on the islands of Tahiti is almost too good to be true. The photos, taken by the talented visual artist Yu Tsai, nearly look like paintings because of how beautiful the scenery is, and, of course, how stunning the three-time brand star is.

The supermodel, who made her debut with the brand on the Jersey Shore with Ben Watts in 2014, returned to the fold the following two years, also traveling to Kauai, Hawai’i, for the 2015 magazine.

The mom of one, who shares daughter Khai with her ex-boyfriend, English singer Zayn Malik, has been dominating in the modeling industry for the past several years. With consecutive Met Gala appearances, multiple global Vogue cover appearances, running her knitwear clothing line Guest in Residence and cohosting reality competition TV series Next in Fashion, the 29-year-old is not slowing down anytime soon.

Hadid has shared that she is a goal-oriented person, and she gets it from her mom. Having multiple things to focus on at once is the way she’s able to accomplish so much.

“I’ve done things in the past year that I never thought I’d do in five years. It’s still surreal. I’m just trying to take it all in. It’s going so fast you don’t really have time to stop and process it, but it’s amazing—I’m having so much fun. I love my job and I’ve made so many amazing friends and connections through it,” Hadid gushed in an interview around the time of her second SI Swimsuit feature. “I’ve learned that if I only put my mind to one thing that I can get tunnel vision. Then I may not be as open to other opportunities because I’m so focused on one thing. I think what’s worked better for me personally is I have three goals every day: be nice, work hard and make friends. Those are my daily goals, and I feel like those are the things that create opportunity and creating connections that will then lead to other things that I may not have planned for otherwise.”

Below are seven of our favorite images from Hadid’s magnificent 2016 photo shoot on the islands of Tahiti.

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Published Jul 21, 2024

ANANYA PANCHAL

Ananya Panchal is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit, where she covers fashion, beauty, pop culture and the internet’s favorite personalities and trends. She joined the brand in 2022 after roles at Bustle, the San Francisco Chronicle and the TODAY Show. Panchal loves to write about fashion in all its forms—from standout runway moments and evolving street style to the best accessories to elevate each season’s wardrobe (she rarely goes anywhere without a stack of jewelry and a coffee in hand). A self-proclaimed beauty fanatic, she’s always on the hunt for must-have products and loves breaking down viral trends. Her favorite series at the moment is spotlighting female founders and the stories behind the brands they’ve built—especially those shaping the future of fashion, wellness and tech. She is based between New York City and San Francisco and, when she’s not writing, can be found rewatching One Tree Hill, playing sudoku, trying new restaurants or ranking her favorite Disney Channel Original Movies. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and journalism with a minor in criminal justice from Boston University.