Leyna Bloom is taking the model world by storm, a historical, barrier-free catwalk and a magazine that is distributed at the same time. The latest addition to your already extensive résumé? Becoming the first colored transgender woman to show grace Sports illustratedThe swimsuit edition, which will be released on July 20th. The Chicago native has just been named one of the 2021 release’s rookies. She joined Natalie Mariduena, Maggie Rawlins, Tanaye White and Kathy Jacobs and followed in the footsteps of Valentina Sampaio, who was the first transgender model to ever grace the pages of Sports illustrated last summer.
What are some of these other accomplishments in Leyna’s jam-packed resume mentioned above? We are pleased that you asked, dear reader. In 2017, she made headlines as one of the few openly transgender models to go for a walk during New York Fashion Week, and was already performing in the next month Vogue Indiaand break down similar barriers. Since then, Leyna’s has also been named one of the “six women shaping the future of fashion” by shineShe was featured in the H&M x Moschino campaign and starred in a film that debuted at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. Phew, we told you it was booked out and busy!
“Your story represents one that is based on resilience.”
For her Sports illustrated Shoot, Leyna was photographed wearing a variety of swimsuits on a Tampa, FL beach, but in the first sneak peek image we received, she is rocking an orange clipping from luxury swimwear brand Dos Gardenias. While sharing the news of Leyna’s inclusion in the magazine, Sports illustrated Swim Editor-in-Chief MJ Day wrote, “Her story is a resilient story and we couldn’t be more excited about helping her tell it. It represents everyone’s right to love and themselves to be who he wants to be. ” Meanwhile, Leyna repeated similar feelings on her own Instagram post, writing, “This moment is bigger than my wildest infinite dreams. In this moment, I am a representation of all the communities I have grown out of and all the communities I plant seeds in in the.”
Check out the video to see the other fancy suits Leyna wore for her photoshoot, then read on to admire more stunning photos of her IRL.
