Lauren Chan understood that embracing her true identity as a gay woman would bring challenges. When she first recognized her queerness in 2022, her initial thought was to postpone this profound self-discovery for a more convenient moment.
“I distinctly remember a moment where I wished I could simply be gay in another life,” she shared, reflecting on her internal struggle.
However, falling deeply in love with Hayley Kosan accelerated her journey toward fully embracing her LGBTQ+ identity. Her prominent career as a model also ignited a powerful desire within her to openly celebrate and amplify this newfound part of herself.
Their paths first crossed in August 2019, on a commercial set in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, for the fashion brand Rent the Runway. Lauren was the featured model, while Hayley commanded the director’s chair. A mutual appreciation for each other’s professional energy was immediately apparent.
“What struck me immediately was her infectious humor, her joy, and the vibrant light she brought to the set,” Hayley recalled. Yet, she added, there was no romantic spark between them at that time.
That might have been because neither was actively seeking a romantic connection. Both were married at the time. Nevertheless, the professional ease they shared that day blossomed into a casual agreement to stay in touch through social media. For three years, this arrangement held. Hayley still finds herself surprised by the romantic turn their relationship eventually took.
“I was completely taken aback,” she admitted. “I’m still in shock that we’re together.”
Lauren Chan and Hayley Kosan hosted a high-fashion, L.G.B.T.Q. wedding celebration on Oct. 7 at No Bar in the Standard Hotel in New York.
Credit…Sophie Sahara
Lauren, 35, is the daughter of George and Lee Ann Chan, who raised her and her younger brother in Brantford, Canada. Her childhood passion was basketball, but a ruptured appendix in high school steered her toward fashion instead.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Western University, she moved to Williamsburg. Her ambition wasn’t to model, but to work for a prestigious magazine.
“I aspired to be a fashion editor,” she explained. “At that time, if you were young and wanted to enter fashion, you seized any opportunity.” For her, that meant plus-size modeling, and in 2013, she signed with Ford Models.
However, magazines remained her true calling. In 2015, Lauren became an associate fashion writer at Glamour, specializing in plus-size fashion, and was later promoted to fashion news editor. She departed in 2018 to launch Henning, a luxury clothing line for women size 12 and up. The immense stress of sustaining the business during the COVID-19 pandemic, a year later, unintentionally led her to discover her true sexuality.
“The global shutdown essentially forced us into profound introspection,” Lauren recounted. “I dedicated myself to talk therapy, and in that period of isolation, I gradually realized I was queer.”
Hayley, 36, grew up in Phoenix with her older sister, raised by Kevin and Denise Kosan. She came out during her studies at Arizona State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in film and media production.
The couple, who were legally married in August, first met in 2019 on the set of a Rent the Runway shoot. Ms. Chan was the model, and Ms. Kosan was the director.
Credit…Sophie Sahara
In her early 20s, she moved to Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. A job as a digital producer at Comedy Central in 2014, where she worked on “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore,” helped her transition to more cinematic projects.
“I honed my skills there alongside many talented individuals,” she explained. “But I felt drawn to try my hand at fashion.” This led her to a role as a cinematographer and editor at Rent the Runway in 2018.
When she first met Lauren in 2019, Henning was just beginning. By the time Lauren sold the company to Universal Standard four years later, both of their marriages had concluded in divorce – Hayley’s in 2023 and Lauren’s in 2022. Through therapy, Lauren had finally learned to acknowledge her desires.
“I had no idea how to do that before,” she confessed. “But one time, when Hayley commented on my work on Instagram, I felt that familiar flutter in my stomach, a hint of attraction in my chest.”
If that flutter was indeed butterflies, by December 2022, Lauren was convinced they were worth pursuing. That month, Hayley had responded to one of Lauren’s Instagram stories about a Phoenix Suns basketball game with a fire emoji.
Attendees shared laughs over cocktails and bites throughout the evening.
Credit…Sophie Sahara
Lauren mustered her courage before replying. “I was definitely testing the waters,” she said. “I thought, ‘Okay, it’s now or never. It’s time to take the next step.’”
That step was asking Hayley out. However, she didn’t explicitly state that their December meet-up at No Bar, a queer establishment within the Standard Hotel in the East Village, would be a romantic date.
“I genuinely thought I was just going to be her fun lesbian friend,” Hayley admitted. After the fire emoji exchange, she even showed the flurry of texts with Lauren to a straight friend, asking, “‘Is she actually flirting with me?’”
At No Bar, Lauren’s intentions became much clearer. Both women distinctly recall her placing a hand on Hayley’s lower back amidst the soft purple mood lighting.
“That’s when I thought, ‘Oh, okay,’” Hayley said. As they left the bar, Hayley asked if she could hold Lauren’s hand. Up to that point, the date had been everything Lauren had hoped for.
“Spiritually and personality-wise, we were incredibly in sync,” Lauren expressed. But as Hayley took her hand on the bustling streets of New York City, anxiety washed over her. “I carried so much internalized homophobia,” she explained. “All the positive feelings I had about the date came to an abrupt halt. The moment she asked to hold my hand, I was instantly consumed with worry about how we would be perceived, immediately concerned that someone might shout something homophobic at us.”
Her professional journey ultimately helped her overcome this anxiety. Being a recognized name within a marginalized group – specifically, plus-size in the fashion industry – had taught her the immense value of vulnerability. “That’s how you forge connections with people who feel excluded,” she said. “That’s how you build allies and truly make a difference. I was determined to apply that same principle to my LGBTQ+ identity.”
During the celebration, Ms. Chan changed into a lace and feather ensemble.
Credit…Sophie Sahara
That night, they held hands as they walked to the Odeon for French fries, then meandered through the TriBeCa side streets, peering into gallery windows, all in an effort to prolong their date. They realized they had fallen in love before their Ubers arrived to take them home—Hayley to the Bronx, as she finalized her post-divorce living arrangements, and Lauren to her marital home in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Both can pinpoint the exact moment. Before Hayley kissed Lauren goodnight, she channeled her inner Mr. Darcy.
“I inhaled the scent of her hair,” she recounted. “It was a scene straight out of Jane Austen. I’m a true romantic.” Lauren felt herself completely captivated. “It was such an incredibly intimate gesture,” she said. “I truly felt like a new person after that date.”
Since both their marriages had recently concluded, neither wanted to rush into a new relationship too quickly. But this wasn’t due to any doubt about their feelings for each other.
“We both sensed this could be a profound and enduring relationship,” Lauren explained. “However, there’s a common lesbian stereotype known as ‘U-Hauling’”—a reference to the perception that gay women often move in together very quickly once partnered. “We absolutely had to have a conversation about it; we couldn’t ‘U-Haul,’ even though we desperately wanted to. In that particular way, we were indeed a stereotype.”
They managed to wait five months. In May 2023, Hayley officially moved into Lauren’s apartment. It was perfect timing, as Lauren had publicly come out in Sports Illustrated the month prior. In April 2023, she authored an essay to accompany her debut appearance in the magazine’s iconic swimsuit issue.
Seventy guests joined the couple for a three-hour celebration, which culminated in the pair reading handwritten vows late in the evening.
Credit…Sophie Sahara
“At the top of the list of things I never imagined I’d do, in escalating order: appear in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, be openly gay, and come out to the world within the pages of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit,” her essay began.
The online bullying started almost immediately after its publication.
“I received countless messages from men on social media essentially claiming I didn’t belong in the magazine,” Lauren recounted. Hayley’s consistent presence offered frequent, comforting reminders of the triviality of these comments. “We truly understood each other deeply,” she said. “I relied heavily on having Hayley by my side during that period.”
By then, Hayley had already made it a habit to declare her unwavering devotion to Lauren. “I would sit across from her and simply say, ‘I’m going to marry you,’” she recalled.
The flutter Lauren had felt in her stomach before their first date resurfaced every time Hayley uttered those words. “It felt profoundly right, it made me feel complete,” she said. “I felt as though everything was finally falling into place.”
Still, it came as a delightful surprise when Hayley proposed on her birthday, August 9, during a 2024 weekend retreat to Rhinebeck, N.Y. Hayley had established a sweet tradition: every birthday, she would create a “funny, loving, and silly” PowerPoint presentation for Lauren. At the end of this particular presentation, a slide appeared that simply read, “In conclusion: Will you marry me?”
The night featured drag performances from their friends.
Credit…Sophie Sahara
On August 5, Lauren and Hayley officially tied the knot, with Madeline Plasencia, an officiant from the New York City Clerk’s Office, presiding. Afterward, for sentimental reasons, they returned to the Odeon for a celebratory lunch.
A stranger yelled an unsavory remark as they paused to take a wedding photo along the way. “But this time, instead of being consumed by fear of judgment like I was the first time we held hands,” Lauren stated, “I proudly yelled back.”
A second wedding reception for 70 guests on October 7 at No Bar served as both a celebration and a high-fashion tribute to the LGBTQ+ community. The couple wore coordinated LAPOINTE ensembles: Lauren in a white silk wedding gown, Hayley in a sleek black satin suit. Enhancing the glamorous atmosphere were dazzling drag performances by their friends West Dakota, Cherry Veronica Jaymes, Citrine Cash, and Alika Hall.
Toward the conclusion of the three-hour party, the couple exchanged heartfelt, handwritten vows.
“Our love is truly the stuff of movies,” Hayley declared. But unlike cinematic tales, she added, “our story has no end.”
Lauren expressed that Hayley had profoundly shaped her evolving sense of self and her fresh perspective on the world.
“You have taught me the true meaning of being in love,” she affirmed.
The couple wore coordinated looks by LAPOINTE — Ms. Chan in a white silk gown and Ms. Kosan in a black satin suit.
Credit…Sophie Sahara
On This Day
When Oct. 7, 2025
Where No Bar at the Standard Hotel, New York
Scents Memory Ms. Chan was wearing her signature scent, Maison Margiela’s “Autumn Vibes” mixed with the Maker’s “Lover” eau de parfum, the night Ms. Kosan smelled her hair. She wore the same combination to both weddings.
Comfortable in Her Own Skin Ms. Chan appeared in Sports Illustrated a third time in May after a second appearance in 2024. She became the magazine’s first lesbian cover model this year. For the issue, she wrote another essay, titled “For the Girls.” Coming out in the magazine in 2023 had been a transformative experience. “I don’t think I would have had the bravery to do it if I hadn’t been plus sized in the fashion industry,” she said.
Jackpot Since coming out, Ms. Chan has embraced the chance to talk publicly about her sexuality, including overcoming her own internalized homophobia. “I want to tell people the journey is not overnight,” she said. “The journey is long, but there’s gold at the end of the rainbow.”