Sports Illustrated Swimsuit

What Sports Illustrated Swimsuit does

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit is a media brand operated under ABG-SI LLC (an Authentic Brands Group entity) that produces an annual swimsuit issue and year-round digital content celebrating swimwear, body positivity, and destination lifestyle. The flagship product is the annual SI Swimsuit Issue, published since 1964; the 2026 edition features four cover models (Hilary Duff, Alix Earle, Tiffany Haddish, Nicole Williams English) and was shot across Botswana, Mexico, Florida, New York, and the Caribbean through partnerships with luxury travel operators including Abercrombie & Kent, South Seas Resort, Hero Beach Club, La Misión Hotel, and Salterra Resort. The operating team is approximately 12 people based in New York, with digital publishing infrastructure powered by Minute Media via swimsuit.si.com.

The business monetizes through five revenue streams: print magazine sales, digital subscriptions via subscribe.si.com, e-commerce and affiliate partnerships through Amazon and si.covers.com, display and newsletter advertising, and brand licensing. Distribution spans owned digital properties, social platforms (Instagram, Facebook, X), newsletters, the broader SI Network (SI.com, FanNation, SI Lifestyle, SI Kids, SI Tickets, SI Resorts, SI Shops), and global newsstand retail. The model relies heavily on annual cultural-event economics anchored by the issue launch, supplemented by monthly digital covers, the Swim Search talent discovery program, and the Pay With Change social impact initiative. Customer-facing segments are fashion/lifestyle consumers, travel enthusiasts, pop culture readers, and empowerment/wellness audiences; commercial counterparties include cover models as talent partners and travel/hospitality operators as content collaborators.

Name

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit

Legal name

ABG-SI LLC

Website

https://swimsuit.si.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit is an annual media brand under ABG-SI LLC that publishes a flagship swimwear issue and year-round digital editorial, monetizing via subscriptions, advertising, e-commerce, and licensing to a consumer audience interested in fashion, travel, and body-positive content.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Lifestyle & Fashion Media

NAICS

Book Retailers and News Dealers (4592)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sports & Recreation Magazines (MPAJAEAJ)

Keywords

• Swimwear magazine
• Fashion editorial
• Lifestyle media
• Celebrity cover models
• Beach fashion content

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Print Magazine Sales: Annual Swimsuit Issue and potentially back issues sold through newsstands and subscriptions
2. Digital Subscriptions: Digital access to swimwear content, galleries, and videos through subscription platform
3. E-commerce Partnerships: Affiliate and storefront relationships with Amazon for SI Swimsuit merchandise, covers, and swimwear products
4. Advertising: Display advertising on swimsuit.si.com website, newsletter sponsorships, and content integrations
5. Brand Licensing: Sports Illustrated Swimsuit brand extensions, collaborations, and licensing deals with swimwear designers and partners

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit produces an annual flagship print magazine (the SI Swimsuit Issue, dating back to 1964) featuring swimwear editorial photography and cover models, alongside year-round digital editorial content on swimsuit.si.com. The brand extends to e-commerce merchandise sales via affiliate storefronts (Amazon, si.covers.com), monthly digital covers, an email newsletter, the Swim Search talent discovery program, and the Pay With Change social impact initiative.

Product overview

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit is a media brand under ABG-SI LLC that produces an annual swimsuit issue alongside year-round digital content. The core product is the SI Swimsuit Issue, published annually featuring cover models and swimwear editorial photography. The brand extends its presence through monthly digital covers showcasing celebrities and athletes, an e-commerce storefront (SI Swim Shop) via Amazon partnerships, and editorial content including swimwear trends, travel destination guides, model profiles, and lifestyle features. Additional initiatives include the Swim Search talent discovery program and the Pay With Change social impact initiative. Content is distributed through the swimsuit.si.com website, powered by Minute Media, with newsletters and social media integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SI Swimsuit Issue (Annual Publication) The flagship annual print magazine issue featuring swimwear editorial photography, cover models, and lifestyle content celebrating self-acceptance and beauty. Sold via newsstands and through subscription. The 2026 edition features Hilary Duff, Alix Earle, Tiffany Haddish, and Nicole Williams English.
• SI Swimsuit Print + Digital Subscription Direct subscription bundle providing annual print issues delivered to subscribers and full digital access to SI Swimsuit editorial content, galleries, and videos. Billed annually.
• SI Swimsuit Digital Covers Monthly digital cover feature showcasing celebrities, athletes, and influencers on swimsuit.si.com, published throughout the year as a year-round companion to the annual flagship issue.
• SI Swim Shop Affiliate e-commerce storefront offering SI Swimsuit cover reprints, swimwear, and branded merchandise through Amazon (amazon.com/sportsillustrated) and partner retailers.
• SI Swimsuit Swim Search Annual talent discovery program scouting new models and faces for inclusion in the SI Swimsuit Issue.
• SI Swimsuit Newsletter Email newsletter delivering swimwear trends, model features, and destination travel guides to subscribers, with embedded subscription offers and sponsorships.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2026 Issue features four cover models representing diverse backgrounds and entertainment fields

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Abercrombie & KentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Abercrombie & Kent served as the exclusive travel partner for the 2026 SI Swimsuit Botswana shoot in the Okavango Delta. The luxury safari company provided accommodations at Stanley's Camp and Baine's Lodge, coordinated logistics, and was featured prominently in travel content. SI Swimsuit staff and models traveled to Botswana for photography featuring Hunter McGrady, Alix Earle, Camille Kostek, and others.
• South Seas ResortcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth Seas Resort on Captiva Island, Florida served as the location for the February 2026 SI Swimsuit digital cover shoot. Featured models included Christen Goff, Haley Cavinder, Brittany Mahomes, Ronika Love, Normani, and Claire Kittle. The resort provided the tropical backdrop for the feature.
• Hero Beach ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHero Beach Club in Montauk, New York hosted the SI Swimsuit team for the 2026 issue photo shoot. Located at 626 Montauk Highway, the boutique hotel (30 rooms) provided beachfront access and hospitality services. Montauk served as a key domestic destination in the 2026 coverage.
• La Misión HotelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Misión Hotel in Loreto, Mexico served as the primary accommodation for the SI Swimsuit team during the Loreto, Baja California shoot. Hunter McGrady completed her 9th SI Swimsuit shoot at this location featuring desert-meets-sea landscapes.
• Salterra Resort & SpaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSalterra, A Luxury Collection Resort & Spa in South Caicos, Turks & Caicos, was featured as a luxury destination in SI Swimsuit's travel coverage. Opened March 2025, the resort offers beachfront accommodations and served as a location for editorial content.
• AmazoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAmazon serves as the primary e-commerce platform for SI Swimsuit merchandise, covers, and products through the Amazon SI Swimsuit Store and SI Shop storefront. Products include cover reprints, swimwear, and branded merchandise.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cosmopolitan: Mass-market women's lifestyle magazine with broad entertainment, fashion, and beauty coverage. Comparable in audience demographics and revenue model (advertising + subscriptions).
• GQ: Men's fashion and lifestyle magazine covering style, culture, and grooming. Operates at the intersection of fashion, celebrity, and lifestyle similar to SI Swimsuit but with a broader editorial scope.
• Vogue: The leading global fashion and lifestyle magazine. Comparable in its authority over fashion/lifestyle trends and in monetizing fashion editorial through premium advertising and brand partnerships.
• Victoria's Secret (PINK/VS Collective): Iconic lingerie and swimwear brand with a comparable consumer demographic and a model/ambassador-driven brand strategy. Shares swimwear category authority and influencer-marketing dynamics.

Direct peers

• Harper's Bazaar: Premium fashion and beauty magazine with a similar advertiser base and concurrent swimwear/resort coverage. Comparable in positioning SI Swimsuit within the high-fashion media landscape.
• Maxim: Men's lifestyle magazine with a long-running history of swimwear/cover-model features and a similar audience of affluent male consumers. Closest direct competitor in the swimsuit-magazine category.
• Sports Illustrated: The parent publication and brand family. SI Swimsuit is a vertically integrated editorial extension of Sports Illustrated, sharing the same masthead, subscribers, and ABG parent ownership.
• Elle: Global women's fashion magazine balancing fashion, beauty, and lifestyle — a comparable editorial and advertiser profile to SI Swimsuit's swimwear/lifestyle focus.

Emerging players

• Sports Illustrated Resorts: New hospitality brand under the same SI/ABG umbrella extending the Sports Illustrated brand into hotels and resorts. Represents the IP-extension strategy that SI Swimsuit could similarly tap into.
• Condé Nast Traveler: Travel-lifestyle magazine at the intersection of fashion, luxury, and travel editorial. Comparable in its destination-driven content strategy and luxury travel-advertiser base that SI Swimsuit is building through its 2026 shoots.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/si_swimsuit
• Facebookfacebook.com/SISwimsuit
• Instagraminstagram.com/si_swimsuit
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sports-illustrated-swimsuit

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sports Illustrated Swimsuit