Love Letters From Our Future Self: SI Swimsuit Edition

In 2026, SI Swimsuit will continue to stay disruptive while allowing women to lead the narrative.

Love Letters From Our Future Self /

SI Swimsuit editor in chief MJ Day narrates how far the brand has come while setting intentions for 2026: “ Stay brave, stay curious and stay a little disruptive. Keep choosing progress over comfort. Keep letting women lead the narrative. Keep making space for what’s next. We didn’t come this far to play it safe.”

TRANSCRIPT

 Dear us,

Remember when all we had was conviction and a whole lot of audacity? When we were told we were just a swimsuit issue and we quietly smiled because we knew better? We knew we were building something bigger than pages and pictures. We believed confidence could be cultural currency. That women didn't need permission to take up space.

That beauty wasn't a trend, a size, a moment or a mood. Back then, we hoped to change the industry. Now, we helped rewrite it. We stopped asking women to fit the frame and started reshaping the frame itself. We chose talent with something to say and backed them when the world finally listened.

We learned that legacy doesn't mean staying still. It means evolving loudly and unapologetically. We turned a once a year moment into a year-round movement. We became a platform, a stage, a community and a damn good time. We built rooms where women led, create, earn and show up exactly as they are.

We took risks. Some paid off immediately. Some scared the hell out of us. All of them pushed us forward. And look at us now in 2026. We are still iconic, but no longer untouchable. We are accessible without being diluted, aspirational, without being exclusive, and a brand that doesn't just feature women, but invests in them and grows with them.

So here's the promise we renew to ourselves: Stay brave, stay curious and stay a little disruptive. Keep choosing progress over comfort. Keep letting women lead the narrative. Keep making space for what's next. We didn't come this far to play it safe.