South Africa's Bryoni Govender to wear sari-inspired national costume for Miss Universe 2023


Miss Universe South Africa 2023 Bryoni Natalie Govender will be wearing a sari-inspired national costume at the 72nd Miss Universe pageant.

A sari (saree) is an elegant and traditional dress worn by women from the Indian subcontinent (South Asia).

Designed by multi-award-winning designer Casey Jeanne Walters, Bryoni's national costume is a tribute to her African-Indian heritage.

The beautiful costume representing South Africa's rich culture and its diversity is decorated with traditional Zulu beads in a pattern inspired by a Ndebele print.

"When Werner Wessels asked me to design the national costume for Miss South Africa for the Miss Universe pageant, I was initially a bit like, huh, what, me!?," the designer shared on social media.

"But then the concepts of mixed South African and Indian heritage came together and I just had to create something truly special," she added.

"I'm so proud of this piece and how it pushed us. I just love the colors and all the custom beading we created. It's so different to what we normally do and yet it's totally up my alley."

Bryoni will present her national costume at the Miss Universe 2023 competition this coming November in El Salvador.

Photos: Willem Botha / Miss South Africa

Popular posts from this blog

Miss Earth USA 2026 is Gia Soleil Espinoza from Texas

Image
Gia Soleil Espinoza of Texas was crowned Miss Earth USA 2026 in a national competition held on Saturday, January 3 at Rosen Centre in Orlando, Florida. The 20-year-old criminal justice major and third-generation business owner from El Paso succeeds last year's winner Haley Poe. She will represent the USA at Miss Earth 2026 later this year. April Rodriguez of Lone Star State was named Miss Earth USA Air, while Angel Marie Strong of West Coast, Alanna Lynch of West Virginia, and Autumn Fisher of Kentucky were announced Miss Earth USA Water, Fire, and Eco, respectively. For the teen division, talented young model Mia Navarro, also from El Paso, clinched the title of Teen Miss Earth USA 2026. She was crowned by her predecessor Jordyn Campion. The new Miss Earth USA is also passionate advocate for animals. She co-founded Cars & Canines, a community-focused initiative that promotes adoption, sustainability, and meaningful connections. Having recently been accepted into the El Paso Po...
Read more

Miss Universe Venezuela 2025 is Clara Vegas of Miranda

Image
Clara Vegas triumphed over 21 other contestants to win the title of Miss Universe Venezuela 2025 on Thursday, December 4 in Caracas. The 23-year-old model and actress from Miranda will represent Venezuela at the Miss Universe 2026 pageant to be held in Puerto Rico. Maria Evangelista Alayon of Amazonas was named first runner-up while Milena Paola Soto of Mérida, Gabriela de la Cruz of Yaracuy, and Gabriela Villegas of Monagas were the second, third, and fourth runners-up, respectively. Completing the Top 12 were the representatives of  Barinas, Anabelly Ojeda, Bolívar, Yosdanny Navarro, Delta Amacuro, Kelly Maita, Dependencias Federales, Valentina Martínez, Portuguesa, Génesis Mendoza, Sucre, Rosangel Mundaraín, and Táchira, Valeria del Amor. The new Miss Universe Venezuela was crowned by her predecessor Stephany Abasali who placed second runner-up at Miss Universe 2025 last month in Thailand. Clara is the daughter of former Miss Venezuela Andreína Goetz who made the Top 10 at...
Read more

Meet the winners of Miss Turkey 2025

Image
The glittering Miss Turkey 2025 national competition was held last December 19 at the Lazzoni Hotel in Istanbul. A total of 20 stunning finalists were chosen to compete for the national titles that were at stake — Miss Turkey World and Miss Turkey Supranational. Sıla Saraydemir, a 22-year-old student, was crowned Miss Turkey World 2025. She is expected to represent Turkey at the 73rd Miss World competition whose date and venue have yet to be announced. The new Miss Turkey World received her crown and sash from former titleholder, Miss Turkey World 1995 Demet Şener. Last year's winner Idil Bilgen was unable to attend the show and pass the crown to her successor because she is currently abroad for her studies. "Today I received not a crown, but a responsibility. Winning Miss Turkey is a shared story of women who believe in their dreams, aren't afraid to make their voices heard, and empower each other," Sıla shared online after the competition. "I thank everyone who...
Read more

From Graduation Gown to the Galaxy Crown: Progress With Purpose

Image
Graduating from Loughborough University with a Distinction in her MBA and receiving the Top Student Prize, Aishwarya Ashvinikumar (popularly known as Ash) is set to make her debut in the pageant industry as a finalist in the UK Galaxy Pageant 2025/26.  Building on the insights from her dissertation, which sparked her passion for advocating gender equality in the workplace, Ash is now focused on using the UK Galaxy platform to raise awareness of ongoing gender-based discrimination in professional environments. Under the guidance of Professor Ian R. Hodgkinson, Ash achieved a Distinction (84/100) for her research dissertation, in which she developed a practical framework to help organisations close gender-based gaps, empower women to overcome workplace barriers, and foster inclusive, productive cultures.  Ash feels immensely grateful and privileged to have collaborated with Professor Ian R. Hodgkinson from Loughborough University, a multidisciplinary scholar at the forefront of ...
Read more

Miss Universe Albania 2023 is Endi Demneri from Tirana

Image
Endi Demneri was crowned Miss Universe Albania 2023 in a national competition held on Thursday, June 1 at Pallati i Kongreseve (Palace of Congresses) in Tirana. The 24-year-old model from Tirana succeeds Deta Kokomani and will now prepare to represent Albania at the 72nd Miss Universe (Miss Universe 2023) pageant in El Salvador later this year. "I want to dedicate this beautiful journey to my grandmother and grandfather, my two angels. I am convinced that if they were in the hall last night, the loudest ovations would come from them," she shared on social media after winning her national title. "I strongly believe that beauty isn't just about having a beautiful image, but having a beautiful mind, a beautiful heart, and a beautiful soul," she added. Hosted by Teni Vllaçaj and Eriona Sejdiu, the star-studded glittering event aired exclusively on Vizion Plus, an Albanian media company. Albania has yet to win Miss Universe since its debut in the international compe...
Read more

Miss France 2026 is Hinaupoko Devèze from Tahiti

Image
Hinaupoko Devèze from Tahiti was crowned Miss France 2026 on Saturday, December 6 at the Zénith d'Amiens in Amiens, Hauts-de-France. The 23-year-old model bested 29 other contestants to win the prestigious national pageant. She succeeds Angélique Angarni-Filopon from Martinique. Juliette Collet of Nouvelle-Calédonie was named first runner-up while Victoire Dupuis of Normandie, Naomi Torrent of Guadeloupe, and Déborah Adelin-Chabal of Roussillon placed second, third, and fourth runners-up, respectively. Completing the Top 12 were Lou Lambert  of Languedoc (fifth runner-up), Alice De Lima Guimaraes of Auvergne (sixth runner-up), Luna Maiolino of Côte d'Azur, Aloïce Sejotte of Limousin, Ynès Lallemand of Champagne-Ardenne, Mareva Michel of Île-de-France, and Emma Boivin of Picardie. The new Miss France was born in Papeete, on the island of Tahiti to a French father and Polynesian mother. She became the sixth representative from French Polynesia to become Miss France. Before winnin...
Read more

Miss Universe Portugal 2023: Meet the contestants

Image
The final gala of Ms Portugal 2023 (Miss Universe Portugal 2023) will take place this Thursday, October 5 at the Pavilhão de Eventos de Borba (Borba Events Pavilion). A total of 17 finalists will battle it out to win the national title and represent Portugal at Miss Universe 2023 in El Salvador this November. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ms Portugal ® (@missportugaloficial) The next Miss Universe Portugal will succeed Telma Madeira who placed in the Top 16 at Miss Universe 2022 in New Orleans earlier this year. Who will be Miss Universe Portugal 2023? Meet the contestants: Andresa Neves Bárbara Gavaia Celina Fernandes Celine Rodrigues Débora Lourenço Diana Lopes Elisabete Abreu Inês Cabral Inês Carvalho Joana Costa Joana Teixeira Marina Machete Sabrina Gladio Sandra Gonçalves Tatiana Pais Thayna Soares Valerie Faria Photos: Ms Portugal / Instagram
Read more

Miss Polski 2024: Meet the 32 finalists

Image
The semifinal round of Miss Polski 2024 (Miss Poland 2024) took place on Friday, April 26 at Hotel Kolumna Park in Przygoń. From 59 semifinalists, only 32 beauties (two from each region) have been selected to move on to the final competition to be held this July. The next Miss Polski, to be crowned by last year's titleholder  Angelika Jurkowianiec , is expected to represent Poland at Miss Universe 2024 and/or Miss Supranational 2025. Angelika went to Miss Universe 2023 in El Salvador last November and will be heading to Nowy Sącz in the summer to participate in Miss Supranational 2024. Who will be the next Miss Polski? Meet the 32 official finalists: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miss Polski Official 👑 (@miss.polski) Kinga Cyran Dominika Kowalczyk Daria Stogińska Karolina Szwajłyk Aleksandra Czerwińska Aleksandra Rudzka Anna Cichomska Natalia Chmurzyńska Antonina Piotrowska Karolina Zbiejczyk Zuzanna Balonek Magdalena Szewczyk Weronika Piątek Zu...
Read more

Miss Czech Republic 2023 final competition results

Image
The Miss Czech Republic 2023 national final was held on Saturday, May 13 at Forum Karlín in the Czech capital city of Prague. Five of the Top 11 finalists went home with national titles and will represent the Czech Republic at Miss World 2024, Miss Grand International 2023, Miss Supranational 2023, Miss International 2023, and Miss Intercontinental 2023. Meet the winners: View this post on Instagram A post shared by FINAL NIGHT 13th of May (@missczechrepublic) Miss World Czech Republic 2023 - Justýna Zedníková Miss Grand Czech Republic 2023 - Sophia Maria Osako Miss Supranational Czech Republic 2023 - Marie Jedličková Miss International Czech Republic 2023 - Dominika Nemečková Miss Intercontinental Czech Republic 2023 - Anna Benešová The glittering event was attended by reigning Miss Grand International Isabella Menin of Brazil and Miss International Jasmin Selberg of Germany. Photos: Arthur Koff, Miss Czech Republic / Instagram
Read more

The Miss Globe 2022: Albania's Drita Ziri wins Miss Bikini competition

Image
The Miss Globe 2022 Miss Bikini competition took place on Saturday, October 8 at the Aquadrom in Tirana, Albania. Albania's Drita Ziri, a 17-year-old model from Fushë-Krujë, was announced the winner while the representative from Thailand, Thanawan Wigg, placed second. Rounding out the Top 5 were Ekaterina Dubenik of Belarus, Rika Kinoshita of Japan, and Argi Annisil of Venezuela. The Miss Bikini competition was just one of the preliminary events of The Miss Globe pageant. Over 50 contestants from around the globe are currently vying for the coveted international title in Albania. Visit the official website of The Miss Globe  to vote for your favorite beauties. The final show will be held next Saturday, October 15 at the Opera and Ballet Theatre in Tirana. At the end of the event, Maureen Montagne of the Philippines will crown her successor. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Miss Globe (@themissglobe) Photos: The Miss Globe
Read more