Bryoni Govender Takes South African Fashion and Creativity to Jaipur

Art of Collaboration 2026 brings South African fashion, beauty and design to India, with Bryoni Govender at the centre of a visual story exploring heritage, identity and belonging.

South African media personality, model and former Miss Universe South Africa Bryoni Govender is at the centre of a new creative project shot in Jaipur, India, bringing South African fashion, beauty, jewellery and design together with the city's heritage and craftsmanship.

Govender is the muse of the 2026 Art of Collaboration, a multidisciplinary project founded by South African designer Stephen Van Eeden that has previously travelled to New York, Cape Town, Paris and Marrakech.

For its latest chapter, the project headed to Jaipur under the theme Heritage in Dialogue, Luxury Redefined.

Known as the Pink City, Jaipur became more than a backdrop for the campaign. Its palaces, architecture, textiles, jewellery, craftsmanship, colour and everyday life helped shape the fashion, film and photography produced there.

Rather than simply placing South African brands within an Indian setting, the project explores what can happen when creatives encounter another culture and allow it to influence the work they produce.

For Govender, the project also carries a personal dimension. Her presence brings a contemporary South African Indian identity to the Jaipur story and connects the different worlds of fashion, beauty and hospitality featured throughout the project.

Identity and belonging are explored further in the project's fashion film, Where I Belong, led by Film Director Paula Zapata, with Maropeng Vushangwe as Director of Photography.

The film looks at what it means to carry your identity into an unfamiliar environment, and how encounters with other cultures can influence the way people understand themselves and where they belong.

South African creativity meets Jaipur

The Jaipur edition brought together a multidisciplinary South African creative team across fashion, photography, film, beauty, content and strategy.

Van Eeden, founder and creative director of the Art of Collaboration and Stephen Van Eeden Atelier, led the creative vision, with Zapata directing the film and Vushangwe overseeing its cinematography.

Fashion and lifestyle photographer Christine Le Roux captured the still imagery, while Tanya Vos led make-up and Carissa Bosman was responsible for hair styling in Jaipur. Marlene du Toit contributed as hair stylist at Lanzerac in South Africa.

The wider team included Christiaan Mostert of Indirect Media as Content Creator, Mariken Jansen van Vuuren as Brand Strategist and Martinique Ferreira as Digital & Social Media Strategist.

The project extended across fashion, beauty, jewellery, fragrance, eyewear and hospitality, with collaborators including Bellagio, Motherkind, Laud Beauty with WHAMISA, cosnova South Africa through Catrice Cosmetics, Iconic Designs, N3YH, Cape Island, La Belle Mariée Bridal Couture, Shade & Co and Stephen Van Eeden Atelier.

Hospitality connected the two destinations through The Leela Palace Jaipur and South Africa's Lanzerac Hotel & Spa.

The Jaipur edition also explores a broader idea of luxury, looking beyond exclusivity and valuable materials to craftsmanship, provenance, cultural exchange, experiences and the people behind them.

It is the latest chapter in a project that began in 2019.

Following New York in 2019, Cape Town in 2020, Paris in 2022 and Marrakech in 2024, Jaipur marks the fifth destination for the Art of Collaboration.

Each destination has shaped the project differently. In Jaipur, the focus shifts to India's traditions of craftsmanship, ornamentation, textiles, jewellery and architecture, and how these can intersect with contemporary South African creativity.

The Art of Collaboration 2026 Jaipur Edition was unveiled on 10 September, premiering the project film and documentary trailer and showcasing the creative work produced in India.

The preview brought participating brands, creatives, media and guests together for an immersive presentation incorporating a panel discussion and curated exhibition-style showcase.

While the resulting fashion, photography and film provide the visual record of the Jaipur edition, the project ultimately centres on the people and creative relationships behind them.

Founded by Van Eeden, the Art of Collaboration has spent seven years bringing different creative disciplines together around a destination and central theme.

Jaipur is its latest meeting point, placing South African fashion and creativity alongside India's heritage and craftsmanship, with Govender at the centre of the story.

About the Art of Collaboration

Founded by South African designer Stephen Van Eeden in 2019, the Art of Collaboration is a multidisciplinary creative platform bringing together brands, designers, photographers, videographers, beauty professionals and other creative practitioners to produce collaborative visual narratives.

Each edition is conceived around a destination and central theme, using fashion, film, photography, art and storytelling to explore cultural exchange and creative collaboration.