Meet Your Cover Model: Lauren Chan Celebrates Representation, Identity and Purpose With SI Swimsuit

The SI Swimsuit model returns for a third consecutive year in 2025, posing on the sun-soaked sands of Bermuda.

A beloved staple of SI Swimsuit, Lauren Chan returns and stuns on her first cover for the 2025 issue!

The model, entrepreneur and passionate size-inclusion advocate is back for a third consecutive year with the franchise after stunning fans with shoots in the shimmering sands of the Dominican Republic in 2023 and in the sparkling waters of Mexico in 2024. A Brantford, Ontario native, Chan has deep roots in all things style, having worked as a model for years for major brands while also working as a fashion features editor for Glamour.

Lauren Chan Content. https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/v1746296169/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/si_swimsuit/01jtbnsgjk9k20h9sdnd.jpg. Read the Cover Story. https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/v1746296162/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/si_swimsuit/01jtbnsg5kmhawqeyhej.jpg. View the Full Gallery. https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/v1746296165/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/si_swimsuit/01jtbnsgd05hwjfbg067.jpg. More Lauren Chan

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

A fierce champion for plus-size inclusion, Chan shared some expert advice on the topic of body image and self-love with the brand, saying, “Think of it this way—would you say that to your best friend? If not, then why on Earth would you say it to yourself?”

For her 2025 SI Swimsuit Issue cover, Chan took to the breathtaking beaches of Bermuda with photographer Ben Watts in what was basically a dream vacation come to life. The 33-year-old model donned a bikini by Cult Gaia, accessorizing with bracelets by Alexis Bittar for her cover shot.

This year, Chan is one of four models—including Salma Hayek Pinault, Olivia Dunne and Jordan Chiles—to be honored with their very own cover for the 2025 issue. While Chan and Dunne both have previously appeared in the issue, Hayek Pinault and Chiles join the brand as first-timers, though you’d never be able to tell, as all of this year’s cover models are naturals.

SI Swimsuit surprised Chan with her gorgeous cover, and the model was all smiles as she sat down to chat with the brand about the big reveal.

“I was genuinely surprised. My first thought was, It’s really happening,” Chan said of the moment. “I think that 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.”

View Lauren Chan’s full 2025 SI Swimsuit gallery here.

Chan also highlighted her fondness for the specific styling this year, noting that the overall aesthetic was somewhat kismet given her life currently. “I will say that this year’s styling was my favorite,” she said. “It’s a little bridal, and I just got engaged, so I felt that special spark of the universe winking at us. We got beautiful weather, it was Bermuda, it was the perfect team, so it did feel special.”

But Chan is also keenly aware of exactly what being on the cover of the SI Swimsuit issue means—especially for the LGBTQ+ community—and she opened up about what that purpose represents to her.

Lauren Chan was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. Swimsuit by Saudade De Você. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

“When I feel like I am doing something for a reason, especially beyond myself, I feel really strong in how I show up and what I say and who I represent and the community I’m able to build. And that’s why this is special,” she said. “It’s not because it’s a pretty picture of me that I get to see on newsstands at the airport. Yeah, that’s wonderful, and my wife-to-be will be really excited every time we go to LaGuardia—but it’s special to me because of all that it means.

“When I was growing up, I didn’t know I was queer because there was next to no representation, and it was often not positive or it was so singular, so I feel like the specialness of this moment is taking a space that someone like me wouldn’t have been represented [in] before, and claiming it with pride.”

But Chan wasn’t simply photographed for the SI Swimsuit issue this year—her words can also be read there, as she wrote an essay which will be included in the magazine.

“When I started with SI Swimsuit in 2023, I wrote a similar essay for the website about getting divorced, coming out, starting anew, so this relationship that I’ve had with SI Swimsuit is about physical representation and voice, and what’s on the inside and learning how to be your authentic self and watching the world open up for you in the most authentic, aligned way when you have the balls—can I say balls?—to do that!” she said.