Diving In. Story + Rain cover model Lauren Layne grew up in Joplin Missouri, was discovered at an amusement park when she was 9 years old, and made her way to New York City, in a classic model-gets-discovered story. An internationally sought-after model with soulful eyes and all American brunette looks, Lauren is a go-to for brands like Ralph Lauren. But she didn’t allow her enviable career to stop there. Armed with her intimate knowledge of fit and construction, Lauren became an entrepreneur in 2018, and launched Lauren Layne Swim, a luxury swimwear brand inspired by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue tear sheets from the 80’s that she culled from a collection of back issues found on Etsy. The collection boasts a beach-to-bar versatility, a forward-thinking, fresh take on swimwear that we love, and her pieces pair perfectly with clothing found in one’s closet. We sat down with Lauren to talk about how being given a sewing machine by her grandmother at age 13 would eventually change her career path, how she weathered her hometown classmates’ response to her new model status, why she chose New York over LA, her most memorable modeling assignments, building her brand, and more, including her tastemaker favorites.