Mady Dewey Nailed the Crochet Swimwear Trend in Puerto Rico

The 2023 SI Swimsuit rookie traveled to the Caribbean island for her feature in last year’s issue.

Mady Dewey was photographed by Ben Watts in Puerto Rico. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

After being named winner of the 2022 Swim Search open casting call, Mady Dewey earned her rookie status in the ’23 SI Swimsuit Issue. Following her initial feature in the Dominican Republic, the Santa Clarita, Calif., native traveled to Puerto Rico for her rookie photo shoot in last year’s magazine.

While reflecting upon her time with the SI Swimsuit Issue last summer, Dewey noted that working with the brand had helped to boost her confidence. “It’s also allowed me to connect with so many people who are in a professional career and haven’t felt like they can show that sexy side of themselves and embrace their other passions, so it’s been great to connect with people who want to go after those dreams and now feel like they have at least some momentum to do so,” she stated.

A content creator and former social media app cofounder, Dewey works as head of product marketing at Try Your Best and has previously held the role of product marketing manager at Discord. Her choice to throw her hat into the ring for the Swim Search was in the hopes of showing others that you can fulfill more than just one dream at a time.

“... I felt like [as] someone who works in a tech environment, I didn’t see people that were going after their creative dreams or their dreams outside of just their career, it felt like you had to be placed into this box, like you could only be someone who was smart or career motivated,” Dewey said. “And I did this because I want women to see that they can do everything that they want. They can break the stereotype of what a person in their industry looks like, and I just hope that I can be that person for other girls.”

Below, we’re throwing it back to a few of our favorite photos from Dewey’s SI Swimsuit feature in Puerto Rico, in which she rocked several trendy crochet bikinis.

Mady Dewey was photographed by Ben Watts in Puerto Rico. Swimsuit by isabella rose. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Mady Dewey was photographed by Ben Watts in Puerto Rico. Swimsuit by RUTT Australia. Shirt by Juan de Dios. Necklaces by ByRoxStudio. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Mady Dewey was photographed by Ben Watts in Puerto Rico. Swimsuit by Andi Bagus. Sunglasses by Otra Eyewear. Necklace by ByRoxStudio. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Mady Dewey was photographed by Ben Watts in Puerto Rico. Swimsuit by RUTT Australia. Necklaces by ByRoxStudio. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated