Visionaries Recognize Vision: Marquis Who’s Who Welcomes Sylvian J. Hyde

A Historic Recognition for a Historic Brand

Today, we celebrate a monumental moment in HYDE’s journey: the inclusion of our Founder and Creative Director, Sylvian J. Hyde, in Marquis Who’s Who in America, a distinguished acknowledgment reserved for those whose contributions shape industries and communities across the United States. This recognition affirms not only a personal legacy, but a 386-year heritage, reawakened in modern form as a luxury fashion & lifestyle house rooted in cultural revival, craftsmanship, and sustainable innovation.

Marquis Who’s Who: A Legacy of Leaders

Founded in 1898 by Albert Nelson Marquis, Marquis Who’s Who has chronicled the lives of Nobel laureates, presidents, artists, and pioneers across industries for over a century. Inclusion is never bought, it’s earned. Among its notable admirers is Warren Buffett, who discovered the registry in the libraries of Columbia University and called it “extraordinary… the lessons, the discouragements they’ve faced, everything about them.” In a world of fleeting recognition, Marquis Who’s Who remains a gold standard of enduring achievement, distinct from trend-based lists like Forbes’ 30 Under 30.

The Hyde Legacy: 386 Years in the Making

The Hyde name dates back to 1638 when the Baymen arrive in what became British Honduras, later Belize. This lead James Hyde and John Hodge to establish a colonial enterprise that later evolved into The Belize Estate & Produce Company.

The company, Hyde & Hodge Co., became foundational in the logwood and mahogany export, Belize's early economy and foundation. Remarkably, their operations included owning a two hundred acres estate that included and encompassed the site of Lamanai, the longest-occupied Maya city for over three thousand years in Mesoamerican history. Belize holds the crown!

There, they constructed a sugar mill, still standing among ancient temples, symbolizing the fusion of European enterprise and Indigenous continuity. Unlike many colonies, Belize’s settlers integrated with the Maya and Garifuna peoples, creating a unique form of self-governance that lasted for over a century. This tri-cultural foundation underpins Belize’s rare heritage, and the spirit behind the HYDE GROUP brand.

A Founder’s Journey: From Belize to New York Fashion Week

Born and raised in Belize, Sylvian J. Hyde spent nearly 21 years immersed in a culture of environmental care and communal resilience. In 2014, just before his 21st birthday, he arrived in New York City, the fashion capital of the world, to realize his vision. Knowing that fashion is the second most polluting industry globally, Sylvian chose a made-to-order business model to reduce waste and enhance quality. By February 8, 2018, just months after founding his namesake label, Sylvian Hyde, he debuted his first transseasonal collection, a manifesto of sustainability, heritage, and storytelling. His approach was recognized later in 2018, when he won 2nd Place at Pace University’s Lubin School of Business Investor Pitch Competition.

A Cultural and Economic Bridge

Today, HYDE serves as a luxury heritage brand and a cultural-economic engine between Belize and the United States. It empowers artisans, uplifts ancestral knowledge, and invests in a future where fashion becomes a platform for restorative justice, heritage reclamation, and sustainable progress. Belize, where over 60% of its landmass is under conservation protection, instills in its people a profound respect for the environment. HYDE’s ethos is a living embodiment of that value.

Looking Forward with Purpose

This Marquis Who’s Who honor is not an endpoint, it’s a threshold.

A call to continue shaping history with craftsmanship and care. A mission to elevate fashion as a vessel of empowerment. A promise to serve generations past, present, and future with vision, reverence, and impact. From the sacred ground of Lamanai to the runways of

New York, HYDE® honors a legacy 386 years strong, and rising.

"From my backyard cities I built in Belize with dirt roads, model cars, and cardboard architecture, to sketching fashion, cars, and futuristic visions in my notebooks, my passion for design, storytelling, and building worlds has been with me since childhood. My mother nurtured that spark from the very beginning. Today, being named to the Marquis Who’s Who in America 2025 Honored List is a full-circle moment, one that validates not just my artistic vision, but my lifelong commitment to legacy, innovation, and purpose.

A defining moment from NYFW SS19. Not bad for a self thought immigrant designer. Remember, perfection and self doubting is the enemy of progress!

As a Belizean and immigrant founder from Central America, this moment holds even deeper meaning. In a world that often questions the value of immigrants, especially from regions like the Caribbean and Central America, I proudly stand as living proof that our stories, our creativity, and our contributions build nations. I am living my dreams, undefined by borders, and I hope to use this influence to open doors for others to do the same."

- Sylvian J. Hyde