Danielle Herrington “Owns It” as the 2018 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover Model

2018 Issue Celebrates 36 Strong + Sexy Women, Including Aly Raisman, Ashley Graham, Kate Upton, Paulina Porizkova, Hailey Clauson, Sloane Stephens, Genie Bouchard, Brenna Huckaby, Sailor Brinkley Cook, Alexis Ren, Olivia Culpo, Plus New Powerful Section “In Her Own Words”

Three New Original SI Swimsuit Television Specials Air Exclusively on Sports Illustrated TV (SI TV) – “Making of SI Swimsuit,” “#SISwimSearch – The journey to find the next SI Swimsuit star,” and “In Her Own Words,” Which Was Shot by Model Robyn Lawley

Special AR and VR Features Makes This the Most Immersive Issue of SI Swimsuit Ever

Watch Former SI Swimsuit Cover Model Tyra Banks Reveal the Cover to Herrington on www.SI.com/Swimsuit

Newcomer Danielle Herrington claims the coveted cover of the 2018 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. The cover was revealed first on SI.com and the brand’s social platforms via a video featuring former SI Swimsuit cover model Tyra Banks sharing the news with a surprised and emotional Herrington. Herrington, a Rookie in 2017’s SI Swimsuit issue, shot her 2018 photos in the Bahamas with photographer Ben Watts. SI Swimsuit Editor MJ Day, who marks her sixth year as editor and 21st year working at the brand, considers all photos from all the models for the cover. SI Swimsuit 2018 hits newsstands on Wednesday, February 14.

Danielle Herrington “Owns It” as the 2018 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover Model. SI Swimsuit 2018 cover featuring Danielle Herrington. The issue is on newsstand now. CREDIT: Ben Watts/SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

The annual SPORTS ILLUSTRATED Swimsuit Issue (www.si.com/swimsuit) reaches more than 70 million US adults annually and more men ages 18 to 34 than the Super Bowl. The iconic brand spans 16 product extensions, along with a vibrant experiential marketing business. Since debuting in 1964, Swimsuit has become a pop culture phenomenon and a revered launching pad for successful careers in TV, fashion, business, and film. The fashion industry describes SI Swimsuit as the “Oscars of Swimwear,” as an appearance in the issue is a crowning achievement for swimsuit and accessory manufacturers.

The 55th installment of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue features a diverse cast of 36 models including 4 returning cover models, 5 world-famous athletes, 5 mothers, 4 published authors, 12 rookies, 6 model search contestants and 10 women who are featured in the new section, “In Her Own Words.” The full list of SI Swimsuit 2018 models is below.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2018 features a diverse array of 36 models, including Compton, CA native and cover model Danielle Herrington and 2018 Rookie of the Year Alexis Ren. The full SI Swimsuit 2018 cast is: Alexis Ren, Allie Ayers, Aly Raisman, Anne de Paula, Ashley Graham, Barbara Palvin, Bianca Balti, Brenna Huckaby, Camille Kostek, Chase Carter, Danielle Herrington, Ebonee Davis, Genie Bouchard, Georgia Gibbs, Hailey Clauson, Haley Kalil, Hunter McGrady, Iyonna Fairbanks, Jasmyn Wilkins, Kate Bock, Kate Upton, Kate Wasley, Lais Ribeiro, Myla Dalbesio, Olivia Culpo, Olivia Jordan, Paige Spiranac, Paulina Porizkova, Raven Lyn, Robin Holzken, Robyn Lawley, Sailor Brinkley Cook, Samantha Hoopes, Sloane Stephens, Tabria Majors and Vita Sidorkina.

Every on-location shoot of the 2018 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue took place in the Caribbean, the brand’s most frequent destination and the backdrop for more than 40 photo shoots and 20 cover images, including the 2018 cover. The Caribbean locations shot in 2018 were the Bahamas, Aruba, Belize, and Nevis. In honor of that history, SI Swimsuit will continue to support hurricane relief efforts in the region and has already committed to visiting Puerto Rico for the 2019 issue.

SI Swimsuit 2018 spotlights beauty in its many different forms while providing a platform for the voices and messages of the bold, diverse, inspiring and stunning women featured throughout the issue. This comes to life in different ways and across mediums, from first-person essays written by a collection of models, to emotional short-form videos, to full-length documentary-style features.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2018 logo

MJ Day, the editor of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, said, “As a 20 year veteran of this iconic brand – the past six as editor – I am constantly inspired by the incredible women I get to work with annually. Their brilliance, their drive, their successes, their strength are something to celebrate and emulate. We feature models who are scientists, CEOs, Olympians, activists, moms, influencers, show hosts and more—and not one of them failed to achieve her goals because she chose to look sexy and wear a bikini. It is time to move past the incorrect assumption that ‘sexy and empowered’ do not go together.”

Day continued, “This year we are so proud to elevate Danielle Herrington’s profile. She is a fresh face, beautiful inside and out, and a hard-working, grounded woman who will be a beacon to many younger girls who can see themselves in her.”

“Two of my role models are Tyra Banks and Beyoncé, so the fact that I get to join this incredible group of women as I become the third black model on the cover of SI Swimsuit is a dream come true,” said Danielle Herrington, 2018 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model. “I am so excited to be part of this iconic brand that has long given identity and voice to women of all shapes, colors, and beliefs. I hope that young girls who look at this cover are inspired to dream as big as I did and work hard to attain all their goals.”

This year’s issue marks several “firsts” for SI Swimsuit:

• “In Her Own Words” – The “In Her Own Words” project, which debuts in 2018, was conceived to deliver a message of empowerment, beauty, confidence, and self-acceptance. Featuring models painted in words they chose, this platform allowed the voice, the strength and the passion of these women to be expressed in the rawest form: on the naked body. With a stripped-down studio and an all-female crew, SI gave full creative control to the women as they became their own canvas. Models and activists such as Aly Raisman and Paulina Porizkova participated in the project. Sailor Brinkley Cook, a photography student at Parsons School of Design, and Robyn Lawley, an aspiring videographer, joined the crew, taking behind-the-scenes photos and capturing video of the intimate shoot.