Kate Love Reflected Warmly on SI Swimsuit Journey in Glamorous Return

The model took the pages of the annual issue again in 2024 after a year away.

Kate Love was photographed by Yu Tsai in Legends Hollywood, Fla. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Back in 2013, Canadian model Kate Love came to the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit set for the first time. She had been in the industry since her teenage years and had established herself through magazine features and brand campaigns alike.

But it was her first time on the brand’s set—and a momentous one at that. Her debut feature brought her on a whirlwind trip to Easter Island, Chile, a destination in the Pacific Ocean. The journey to get there wasn’t smooth, but the photo shoot experience couldn’t have been more so. After all, it was that first experience that earned her a call back the following year—and then for eight consecutive years after that.

Love broke her extended streak with the brand in 2023 after 10 consecutive features in the annual magazine. At the time, she was pregnant with her first child, a daughter who she shares with husband Kevin Love. She gave birth in June of that year. The next, she could be found right back on the set of SI Swimsuit. After all, the brand couldn’t fathom another year without Love on the pages of the magazine—and she couldn’t fathom it, either.

It was a fitting year for the model to make her return, too. She didn’t simply return to the annual issue as another model. She returned as a brand Legend. For the 2024 magazine, Love posed for the 60th anniversary Legends photo shoot in Hollywood, Fla. Rather than sporting sleek swimwear, she donned a red carpet-ready dress and posed for photos captured by Yu Tsai. On set, she also took the chance to share her reaction to being considered a brand Legend.

“It feels kind of crazy. I still can’t believe that I was chosen to be in the issue and then got the call back every year for a decade,” Love said of her long tenure with the brand. “Being a swimsuit model and now returning as a Legend for an 11th year has been such a big part of my life. It’s cool and exciting to know that some people look up to me the way I looked up to other women.”

We know one thing for sure: she is certainly worth looking up to. The 36-year-old has long been an inspiration in our book—and the title of Legend is a testament to that.

Kate Love was photographed by Yu Tsai in Hollywood, Fla. Dress by Donna Karen. Shoes by Giuseppe Zanotti. Jewelry by Melinda Maria and Charlie Lapson. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Kate Love was photographed by Yu Tsai in Legends Hollywood, Fla. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated