Swimsuit

Jessica Gomes Made a Statement During Her Utterly Unique SI Swim Feature in China

We could never choose a favorite from her brand features, but this one was truly breathtaking.

Martha Zaytoun

Jessica Gomes

Jessica Gomes was photographed by Derek Kettela in Guilin, China.

Jessica Gomes didn’t always dream of pursuing modeling. The Australia native began exploring the career at her mother’s urging, and once she eventually got scouted by an agency, the rest is history.

She first became acquainted with the SI Swimsuit Issue thanks to longtime brand legend Elle Macpherson. When Gomes started looking at the issue when she was 17, she quickly found Macpherson’s old covers. “I just remember thinking, 'Wow, I'd love to do that,’” she told SI Swimsuit. And, so she did. 

While her brand debut took place in 2008, Gomes returned to the fold several times. Over the years, the 38-year-old has made a total of eight appearances in the annual SI Swimsuit Issue, posing everywhere from the Canary Islands to Portugal to her native Australia. In 2013, her sixth consecutive feature in the magazine brought her to the beautiful city of Guilin, China, where she posed for incredible photos taken by Derek Kettela. Posing away from the beachside locations typical of brand photo shoots made for a really memorable feature.

These days, Gomes continues to model. Most of the time, she poses for a variety of brand campaigns, from Yves Saint Laurent to Ralph Lauren and beyond. In addition to SI Swimsuit, she has graced the pages of several magazines, including Harper’s BAZAAR Australia as well as Harper’s BAZAAR Vietnam. 

Today, we’re looking back at that idyllic photo shoot in China. Here are few of our favorites.

Jessica Gomes
Jessica Gomes
Jessica Gomes

Make sure to follow SI Swimsuit on YouTube!

Published
Martha Zaytoun

MARTHA ZAYTOUN

Martha Zaytoun is a Lifestyle & Trending News writer for SI Swimsuit. Before joining the team, Martha worked on the editorial board of the University of Notre Dame’s student magazine and on the editorial team at Chapel Hill, Durham and Chatham Magazines in North Carolina. When not working, Martha loves to watercolor and oil paint, run or water ski. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a huge Fighting Irish fan.