slides: Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issues: The Rhode Island Connections

Thursday, February 20, 2014

GoLocalProv News Team

 

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As Sports Illustrated celebrates the 50th anniversary of its illustrious Swimsuit Issue, GoLocal takes a look at its five Rhode Island connections. Though (especially in February) the beaches of Rhode Island may not be chosen as the sultry backdrop for the world's top supermodels to frolick, Rhode Island has nonetheless played a hand in shaping the models and photographers who have made the Swimsuit Issue the institution that it has become. 

To see more on how Sports Illustrated is commemorating their 50th, visit the Swimsuit Issue's website here. 

 

Related Slideshow: Rhode Island and SI Swimsuit History

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Kim Alexis

Kim Alexis' Sports Illustrated shots made her famous, but it is a little known fact that she was also accepted to the five-year pharmacy program at University of Rhode Island. To the delight of Sports Illustrated readers everywhere, Alexis was convinced to be a professional model before her career as a Ram got off the ground. Nevertheless, Rhode Islanders must wonder what might have been.

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Alex and Ani

SI models have sported Rhode Island's trendiest accessories more than once--an Alex and Ani anklet was spotted in 2003 on model Jessica White and a bracelet in 2011 on Hillary Rhoda. 

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Heidi Klum

Heidi Klum, maybe THE most famous Sports Illustrated alum, has made her post-modeling fortune from endorsement and design. One of her products is the "Rhode Island" collection of swimwear. One is hard pressed to imagine a better tribute to a state than to have Heidi Klum create a bikini bearing its namesake. You can see more of the collection here.

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RISD

Bjorn Iooss is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, and did many swimsuit pics, including the 2011 cover. Its a case of like father, like son -- his father Walter is also an accomplished Sports Illustrated photographer. In a profile of Bjorn in the New York Times Style Magazine, Bjorn reflected on his career with Sports Illustrated: "To be in this position is a little bit out of my comfort zone. Doing swimsuit photos was probably the last thing in the world they would have expected me to be doing at R.I.S.D.”

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Kathy Ireland

Sports Illustrated model Kathy Ireland has parlayed her fame as a model into a designed empire with more than $2 billion in annual sales, partially thanks to Providence College alum and collaborator Nicholas Walker. Walker is also a former soap opera leading man (notably of "One Life to Live") and oversees Jardin, Ireland's line of stylish products with a focus on the outdoors. See more on Ireland's website, here.

 

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