Lauren Chan’s Best SI Swimsuit Moments

Get to know the 2025 cover model, who began her journey with SI Swimsuit in bold fashion back in 2023.

Lauren Chan was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Three features. Three SI Swimsuit Runway Shows. One history-making multihyphenate: meet Lauren Chan.

1. 2023: Chan makes her rookie debut
2. 2023: Chan pens first in-issue essay
3. 2024: Chan joins the 60th Anniversary issue
4. 2025: Chan scores first cover spot
5. 2025: Chan couples cover with For The Girls essay

2023: Chan makes her rookie debut

From Bradford, Ontario, this model, entrepreneur and TV personality was first introduced with the brand in the Dominican Republic, where she joined fellow rookie Madisin Rian with debut shoots in the Caribbean.

Lauren Chan was photographed by James Macari in the Dominican Republic. Swimsuit by MESHKI. Earrings provided by New York Vintage. / James Macari/Sports Illustrated

Before the issue hit newsstands in May, the model gushed that she was “so excited” for the opportunity, adding that—despite her limited time with the brand and the team—she “just [felt] really at home.”

She also earned high praise from SI Swimsuit editor in chief MJ Day, who added that Chan “has had quite the career trajectory.” She also emphasized, “[Chan] uses her platform to advocate for size inclusivity and creates content with purpose that is both relatable and captivating,” and called the rookie “the epitome of beauty and brains.”

Lauren Chan was photographed by James Macari in the Dominican Republic. Swimsuit by Cleonie Swim. Earrings by Ettika. / James Macari/Sports Illustrated

During her time on set, Chan was photographed by James Macari wearing several ensembles that were “sexy and playful while exuding tons of powerful feminine energy,” as our fashion team described. Fittingly, the model already looked like a brand staple while sporting swimsuits that paralleled her personality.

2023: Chan pens first in-issue essay

Lauren Chan was photographed by James Macari in the Dominican Republic. Swimsuit by Beach Riot. / James Macari/Sports Illustrated

That same year, alongside her debut photo shoot, the former Glamour editor released an essay in SI Swimsuit 2023 titled How I Came Out, Got Divorced, and Landed in SI Swimsuit.

“Atop the list of things I never thought I’d do, in escalating order: be in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, be gay and come out to the world in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit,” she began the essay—yet, that’s precisely how her story unfolded.

Lauren Chan was photographed by James Macari in the Dominican Republic. Swimsuit by Bromelia Swimwear. / James Macari/Sports Illustrated

The article further chronicled the model’s journey to discovering her sexuality, partly crediting that journey—with the support of therapy—as how she manifested her rookie campaign with the brand that year.

“You have to genuinely believe what you’re manifesting in the depths of your soul,” she wrote, adding, “Once I did, I started behaving in a way that was already gay, healthily divorced and when SI Swimsuit asked for my casting tape, a shoo-in for a 2023 Rookie spot.”

Lauren Chan was photographed by James Macari in the Dominican Republic. Swimsuit by Initial S Paris. Earrings by omè. / James Macari/Sports Illustrated

That same year, Chan told the brand, “I really feel a page is turning for me,” and perhaps that was how she manifested her own success story with the brand for years to come.

2024: Chan joins the 60th Anniversary issue

In July 2023, Chan strutted the catwalk at the SI Swimsuit Runway Show and sported a duo of looks. Then, under a year later, she returned to set—this time with photographer Yu Tsai in Mexico—for her sophomore appearance in the fold.

Lauren Chan was photographed by Yu Tsai in Mexico. Swimsuit by VANESSA MOONEY. Earrings by Karine Sultan Bracelet by AGMES / Yu Tsai /Sports Illustrated

“I’m in the best place I’ve ever been, mentally: feeling like my authentic self, in love, and seeing time and time again how vulnerability has produced the most beautiful parts of my life,” Chan penned about her second feature on Instagram, “Being in that mindspace has allowed me to feel more comfortable and free on set, modeling in a way that isn’t purely trying to hide my insecurities [...]”

Lauren Chan was photographed by Yu Tsai in Mexico. Swimsuit by Riot Swim. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Chan joined three of the magazine’s four SI Swimsuit 2024 cover models with shoots in Mexico that year: Kate Upton, Gayle King and Hunter McGrady. Her own gallery, which sought to capture elements of 1980s swimwear editorials, per our fashion team, was part of the magazine’s 60th Anniversary issue.

Lauren Chan was photographed by Yu Tsai in Mexico. Swimsuit by ViX Paula Hermanny. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

“Being in [SI Swimsuit] is deeply important to me because I’m able to represent size-inclusion as well as AAPI and queer communities,” Chan’s Instagram caption continued. She also included a sentiment that hit close to home, “I know that if my teenage self saw a [SI Swimsuit] model with a lower chest, weight in their midsection, and less in the trunk, I’d have felt less self-conscious from the start.”

2025: Chan scores first cover spot

Chan followed up her second feature in the fold in May 2024 with a Swim Week appearance with the brand that June. But—by the time it was announced that Chan was returning to the fold for the third year—the model arrived to set with a heavier left hand.

Lauren Chan was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. Swimsuit by Beach Riot. Earrings by JéBlanc. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

In March 2025, Chan announced her engagement to Hayley Kosan, the self-proclaimed “Sports Illustrated Husband of the Year.” The model’s most recent photo shoot with the brand took place in Bermuda, which was disclosed that same month. From there, Chan’s spring only continued to soar, as her latest feature not only marked her third year in a row with the brand, but also her inaugural cover spot.

Lauren Chan was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. Swimsuit by Cult Gaia. Bracelets by Alexis Bittar. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

“I was genuinely surprised. My first thought was, It’s really happening,” Chan beamed when reminiscing about the moment she heard the news. “I think something that’s so special about being part of SI Swimsuit is that it allows you to live in the spirit of hope and possibility, and so we all always hope that we have the moment when we get to be on the cover and we get to say what we want to say on this special stage. So I’ve always had a little bit of hope, but to have it actually happen is [...] I’m speechless.”

She shared the honor with fellow three-time model Olivia Dunne, Olympic gymnast and SI Swimsuit rookie Jordan Chiles and Emmy Award-winning actress Salma Hayek Pinault.

2025: Chan couples cover with For The Girls essay

Lauren Chan was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. Swimsuit by PQ Swim. Necklace by Andi Bagus. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

In a full circle moment, the model’s first cover appearance was paired with another in-issue essay. Titled For the Girls: Celebrating the Evolution of SI Swimsuit, she challenged readers with a question that lingered on her mind before the magazine’s release: “Who is SI Swimsuit for?”

Lauren Chan was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. Dress by Natalia Fedner. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

In the piece, the model further elaborated that her question stemmed from an antagonistic social media comment posted in March of that year. Her answer, however, was simple.

“The intention of SI Swimsuit today is to celebrate women as 360-degree people while exemplifying what we can accomplish and spotlighting underrepresented communities,” Chan wrote. “Most importantly, this brand is now a beacon of inspiration—a repossession of agency for the multitude of women who are able to see themselves reflected in the pages.”

Lauren Chan / John Parra/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated

The model most recently joined the brand in Miami in late May—after attending its first-ever SI Swimsuit Social Club in Soho two weeks prior—for her third SI Swimsuit Runway Show. She also rang in the cover feat at the brand’s launch party at Hard Rock Hotel New York that same month.

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