Meet The Creator Of The Worlds Largest African Fashion Platform

Built on a the principles of respect and good manners, African lifestyle brand ‘The Threaded Man’ is taking on the world.

Creative entrepreneur Siya Beyile is a multi-talented star on the rise. His brand, ‘The Threaded Man’, has become the world’s largest African fashion and lifestyle platform. Here he tells Culture Trip how he transformed a menswear blog into a thriving global business.

Fashion with a meaning

Beyile has consciously worked towards developing an expressive fashion platform where the ethos behind his brand is as important as the garments themselves.

He says that the philosophy of ‘The Threaded Man’ is strongly grounded in the principles of manners and respect, and that these moral beliefs have helped him develop his business line over the years.

Siya Beyile’s clothing line, ‘The Threaded Man’, effortlessly combines traditional and contemporary style

“This attitude has helped carry me through some of my toughest corporate challenges. Consciously living out this ethos means that I can be positive, even in negative situations, and if others are being difficult, or giving me bad vibes, I don’t need to send that same negative attitude back,” says Beyile.

Growing a dream

He credits his family for his endless inspiration and drive to succeed, commenting that they are the ones who pick him up when he feels like he can’t keep going anymore.

Beyile’s positive outlook on life has also helped him keep his momentum going. “Every single day I strive to do everything out of love. I try to make people feel good by spreading love through my work and, in fact, everything I do.”

Today ‘The Threaded Man’ consults for major brands such as Adidas, Hugo Boss and H&M. Beyile has also worked with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week as a creative director, and served as fashion director for many award shows, including MTV Africa Music Awards.

A distinctive style

Beyile says the one piece of clothing he couldn’t live without is a well-tailored suit. However, don’t expect anything traditional about his look.

As the youngest African personality to have graced the cover of GQ magazine, Beyile embodies unconventional, individualistic style and believes that blindly following fashion trends is one of the biggest fashion flaws South African men make.

“For me, style is about communicating your own story of who you are and where you want to go. I don’t think many South African men understand this.”

Beyile is also strongly influenced by his Xhosa heritage and says his style is heavily inspired by his culture. He says, “As South Africans we are blessed with so many different cultures that the world has yet to experience, and we get to infuse this into our clothing and style. South Africans are unique and we need to honour that.”

Siya Beyile has an individual and unique sense of style

A trendsetter

Besides leading the way as one of South Africa’s most exciting stylists and creative directors, Beyile is a TV personality, public speaker, and has appeared on the Forbes list of Africa’s most influential people under the age of 30.

He also hosts a weekly radio talk show on Cliff Central, interviewing guests who inspire and motivate Africa’s millennials, with conversations focusing on progressive change.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.