A model on the rise! Lauren Chan isn’t just the new 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit rookie — she’s making history.
In the upcoming edition of Sport Illustrated Swimsuit, which hits newsstands later this month, Chan details moments throughout her career that brought her to where she is today. The former Glamour fashion editor is the first queer, plus-size rookie to feature in the publication — and in the issue, she opens up about her journey discovering her sexuality.
Before landing the highly coveted Sports Illustrated gig, the model began her career as a fashion writer for magazines including Vogue, The New York Times’ T Magazine, and Interview. Later, she worked as a Fashion Features Editor for Glamour, where she mostly covered plus-size styles and oversaw the fashion team.
After attending fashion shows and feeling moved by a 2016 size inclusive Chromat show, the brunette beauty decided to get more involved in designing clothes.
In a February 2019 Vogue piece, Chan wrote, “By the time the Spring 2018 collections came around, my work on size-inclusive fashion had evolved from reporting on the industry’s progress to hands-on projects like creating [size inclusive] clothes for Glamour x Lane Bryant.”
She continued: “I had a new mantra: walk the walk. If I was going to write about wanting more clothing options or needing to see more plus-size models on the runway, shouldn’t I lead by example?”
Chan filled her résumé with even more designer credits when she created 10 clothing collections for the “Glamour x Lane Bryant” collaboration. A year after leaving Glamour, she launched Henning, a luxury plus-size workwear brand. The clothing consists of everything from formal dresses to pajama sets.
Henning was later acquired by Universal Standard, and Chan is now working as an influencer, model and speaker. She preaches about size inclusion, the LGBTQ+ community, mental health, women’s entrepreneurship and more.
Chan doesn’t stop there. She also is a jury member for the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards, an ambassador for the National Eating Disorders Association and is a guest lecturer at universities including Parsons School of Design, Savannah College of Art and Design, New York University and the Fashion Institute of Technology.
The do-gooder has also received multiple honors and awards from the American Society of Magazine Editors, Condé Nast, Business of Fashion and more.
Keep scrolling to learn more about the influencer’s career and personal life: