As winter—and its forgiving silhouettes—comes to a close, the 2012 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue has arrived just in time to remind the Active Team that it’s high time to hit the gym in preparation for this season’s swimwear. The sun-drenched appeal and palpable strength of these ladies is no joke and certainly motivates us to get in our morning workouts! We always look forward to this issue hitting the shelves, as it gives us the ability to check out the latest bikinis and swimwear causing a buzz in the market. Our FAVORITE issue was in 2010, when SI featured iconic athletes like gold medalist skier Lindsey Vonn and silver medalist snowboarder Hannah Teter, in a beautiful spread in the mountains.



Proving that the issue isn’t just about the scantily-clad, this year Sports Illustrated collaborated with Quiksilver to create a limited edition line of surfboards that will be auctioned on Gilt to benefit the Nature Conservancy’s worthy cause of keeping our beaches pristine. Bedecked with ten returning SI models from last year, these boards are sure to go fast.



We were even more stoked to see that the magazine feature looks for the young sophisticate who lives for weekends full of surf and sand. Some of our favorite pieces were chic numbers in fire-engine red, rich blues and neon yellows from Mikoh.



When we had a chance to sit down with Mikoh founders, sisters Oleema and Kalani Miller, two years back, they described the Mikoh woman as “the most sophisticated one in the room” but also as someone who remains, “independent, confident, adventurous, fun, and isn’t afraid to stand out.” They clearly kept this intention in mind when developing suits for this season.



Basta Surf also kept this trail-blazing beach-beauty in mind with similar primary tones and braided accents, while Billabong hit us with an “ethnic-influenced” triangle top bikini.



This year’s array of suits call to mind the contemporary woman who rolls with any challenge, on land or in water with the ease of a pro-surfer. Who says one woman can’t encompass it all?