Lauren Chan Looks Stunning in her 2023 SI Swimsuit Issue Debut

Chan embodied the iconic doll while on location in the Dominican Republic.

Lauren ChanJames Macari/Sports Illustrated

Lauren Chan traveled to the Dominican Republic with photographer James Macari for her rookie photo shoot with SI Swimsuit. “I’m so excited to be a rookie this year,” said Chan at her photo shoot. “I feel like I’ve been a rookie as an athlete many times in my life, and that’s my only other experience kind of being a rookie. And I just feel a lot of the same feelings of being part of a new family and a new team and a new way of thinking and part of this new thing that we all create together. And I just feel really at home.”

The model, editor and entrepreneur brought the party with bright and fun pieces that were inspired by the trendy Barbiecore aesthetic.

View Lauren Chan’s entire 2023 gallery here.

In a nod to the iconic doll, Chan incorporated subtle touches into her various looks on set. Keeping the energy playful yet sophisticated, Chan tapped into a pattern donned by Barbie herself and wore a white and green swimsuit from Beach Riot.

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

The Toronto native and size inclusion advocate is no stranger to the world of fashion. Prior to making her debut with SI Swimsuit, Chan served as a fashion writer for Vogue and Interview and later became the fashion features editor at Glamour, where she focused on covering the plus-sized fashion beat. Chan later became the founder and CEO of luxury womenswear brand Henning, which was recently acquired by Universal Standard. She now serves as the company’s head of brand partnerships.

In a heartfelt essay that Chan wrote for SI Swimsuit on finding herself and starting anew, she shares what her feature in the issue means for her personally after a year of huge life changes including getting divorced and coming out as gay. “So, why did I decide to come out with SI Swimsuit?” she writes. “I spent my career representing women who look like me—and I’m ready for a chapter in which I get to celebrate us for who we are on the inside, too. That’s the SI Swimsuit mission and they’ve been hugely successful in moving our culture forward with it. (Ahem: Ashley Graham! Leyna Bloom! Maye Muske!) Here feels like the right place to celebrate my hard fought pride, relate to other folks in my position, and perhaps change some people’s view of the queer community. In the current political climate, with a record 400-plus anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced across the United States this year to date, SI Swimsuit felt like a platform whose reach could make a real difference at a pivotal time.” Read more from her essay here.

View Lauren Chan’s entire 2023 gallery here.

Learn more about all of the women featured in the 2023 SI Swimsuit Issue.

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