Actress and brand influencer Luyanda Zwane is having an incredible 2026. From being one of the stars of Netflix’s hit drama series, The Polygamist to now having her own jewellery collection with Cotton On’s Rubi, Luyanda is proving how valuable she is as an actress as well as a brand influencer thanks to the strong community of support she’s built that supports her different career pursuits.
With the recent launch of the Luyanda Zwane x Rubi jewellery collection, it is a first of its kind partnership in Africa for the Australian brand. Having been part of the brand’s different campaigns over the past few years as an influencer, this partnership comes as a fitting transition into Luyanda’s next phase in brand collaborations.
Luyanda shared with Creator Insider Africa exclusively about how she feels about the collaboration saying, “The Luyanda Zwane collection X Rubi is a first for Cotton on Africa , “This is huge for me, it means I’m valuable to brands and extremely influential, to be trusted with such a tremendous opportunity means brands see value in me.”
To relaunch Rubi jewellery, the brand which targets a young and trendy audience approached Zwane to to be the face having seen how she styles her jewellery when she worked on their Cotton On Body range. The waterproof jewellery was made in true partnership as it was design collaboration with Luyanda.
When we asked Luyanda what she believes goes into building a long term partnership with a brand and how she has managed to grow partnerships to a point where she can have conversations about having her own collection, Luyanda credited trust on both ends.
Building a long term relationship starts with trust, you must trust the brand and the brand must trust you too, every opportunity that lands on your lap, show up as if it’s the first time! And most importantly don’t be scared to speak up or to say what you want or what you believe is needed in the market.
Beyond selling out the collection, Luyanda hopes the historic partnership solidifies her value, impact and greatness in the industry. “And of course more bargaining power/influence,” she says.
The Luyanda Zwane X Rubi limited collection is dubbed ‘Being Entirely You’, made for beach days and dinner reservations. It’s now available online and in selected stores.
