Gigi Hadid’s SI Swimsuit Photo Shoot in Tahiti Featured the Sweetest Pastel Hues

The supermodel and entrepreneur posed for the annual magazine three years in a row, starting in 2014.

Gigi Hadid was photographed by Yu Tsai on the Islands of Tahiti. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Temperatures may be cooling down in parts of the country as we get further into the fall season, but Gigi Hadid certainly brought the heat to her SI Swimsuit photo shoot in Tahiti in 2016.

The model, designer and entrepreneur first posed for the issue in 2014, when she traveled to the Jersey Shore and worked with photographer Ben Watts. Her poses in the sand were so impressive that Hadid was invited back to the fold the following year. She was photographed by Yu Tsai in Kauai, Hawai’i for the occasion. Hadid’s most recent feature in the SI Swimsuit Issue, however, took place on the Islands of Tahiti in 2016, where she again worked with visual artist Yu Tsai.

While it’s tough to determine which one of Hadid’s back to back to back SI Swimsuit features is our absolute favorite, we often find ourselves coming back to the sweet and dreamy swimwear she modeled while on the French Polynesian island. In addition to her pink, purple and blue-hued swimwear, the jaw-dropping backdrop of Tahiti made for some truly remarkable images.

Ever the professional, Hadid remarked on set how she’s often incredibly self-critical when it comes to capturing that perfect shot.

“I’m really hard on myself,” she said while in Tahiti. “You only have a certain amount of time with the perfect light, and you only have a certain amount of time until the tide goes up and then you’re too deep in the water. I was like, ‘I have to get this right. I have to get this right or the moment is going to pass.’”

Her professional nature is evident in all of her work, from strutting the Victoria’s Secret runway to landing brand campaigns with the likes of Prada, Maybelline and Miu Miu. The 30-year-old supermodel is also the founder and creative director of Guest in Residence, a luxury clothing brand, and is a proud mom. She and ex-boyfriend Zayn Malik share a 5-year-old daughter, Khai.

These days, Hadid spends much of her leisure time with boyfriend Bradley Cooper, whom she has been linked to since October of 2023. The pair are notoriously private with their relationship, though the model finally went Instagram official with her 50-year-old beau this spring, posting a pic of the pair sharing a smooch at Hadid’s 30th birthday party.

Below, we’re throwing it back to just a few of our favorite images from Hadid’s most recent SI Swimsuit feature, which was captured in Tahiti. The model’s beauty, her pastel swimwear and the location’s stunning surroundings still shine as much today as the moment they were captured nearly a decade ago.

Gigi Hadid was photographed by Yu Tsai on the Islands of Tahiti. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Gigi Hadid was photographed by Yu Tsai on the Islands of Tahiti. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

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Gigi Hadid was photographed by Yu Tsai on the Islands of Tahiti. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Gigi Hadid was photographed by Yu Tsai on the Islands of Tahiti. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Gigi Hadid was photographed by Yu Tsai on the Islands of Tahiti. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated