Less fabric, more sizes: Sports Illustrated’s Miami swimwear show

Miami Swim Week, one of the largest fashion events in the United States, closed Sunday night with Sports Illustrated’s annual runway show. The magazine publishes its traditional swimsuit issue every May.

This year, the magazine released four different covers starring Hilary Duff, Alix Earle, Tiffany Haddish and Nicole Williams English, photographed in five exotic destinations: from the Turks and Caicos Islands and the beaches of Montauk to the desert and safari landscapes of Botswana, Mexico and Florida.

Meredith Mickelson at the Sports Illustrated swimsuit show

(Photo: Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)

Maura Higgins at the Sports Illustrated swimsuit show

(Photo: Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)

Sarah Jane Nader, Mary Holland Nader and Grace Ann Nader at the Sports Illustrated swimsuit show

(Photo: Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)

Haley Cavinder and Hanna Cavinder on the runway

(Photo: Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)

On the runway at the W South Beach hotel, models, athletes, content creators and celebrities walked under the brand’s familiar message in recent years: celebrating diversity, self-confidence and a broader ideal of beauty.

Alix Earle at the Sports Illustrated swimsuit show

(Photo: Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)

Nicole Williams English at the show

(Photo: Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)

It may sound like a worn-out cliché, but against the troubling thinness that has dominated the past year, this feels like one of the last arenas of inclusion. Helping reinforce that diversity was singer Lizzo, who walked the runway and also performed several songs during the show.

Tiffany Haddish at the Sports Illustrated swimsuit show

(Photo: Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)

Lauren Chan models a swimsuit

(Photo: Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)

Kristen Goff at the Sports Illustrated swimsuit show

(Photo: Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)

Bethenny Frankel on the runway

(Photo: Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)

She was joined by entrepreneur and TV personality Bethenny Frankel, 55, who surprised the crowd with a series of daring looks, along with content creator Alix Earle, model Brooks Nader and model Molly Sims, 53.

Ellie Thumann at the Sports Illustrated swimsuit show

(Photo: Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)

Hunter McGrady models on the runway

(Photo: Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)

Unlike traditional swimsuit shows, which focus mainly on presenting beachwear, the Sports Illustrated event placed emphasis on the participants’ personal stories and a message of female empowerment.

Jena Sims at the Sports Illustrated swimsuit show

(Photo: Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)

Brooks Nader on the runway

(Photo: Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)

Still, the runway featured revealing bikini cuts with thong bottoms, sets made of shimmering lurex fabrics, trendy combinations of bikini tops with boxer-style bottoms, sailor-inspired one-piece swimsuits and a section of jeweled swimwear that gave the models the look of exotic dancers.

Penny Lane at the Sports Illustrated swimsuit show

(Photo: Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)

Meredith Mickelson on the runway

(Photo: Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)

Katie Austin models while pregnant

(Photo: Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)