Dwyane Wade’s daughter Zaya took another step in her burgeoning modeling career when she revealed that she was the face of a new Miu Miu campaign on Thursday.
Wade’s 16-year-old daughter shared images from her latest photoshoot to Instagram to mark the fashion house’s Fall/Winter 2023 line.
The transgender model’s latest accomplishment was revealed after her father Dwyane admitted that he had to reevaluate his status as a ‘cool dad’ after he saw just how frightened she was to come out to him when she was just 12.
In her first post, Zaya showed she was ready for the cold weather to come, even as oppressive heat waves blanket much of the US.
She wore a striking mustard yellow corduroy-style coat with furry brown peaked lapels that were widely spread, along with a matching collar.
New gig: Dwyane Wade’s daughter Zaya Wade, 16, looked chic in a new Fall/Winter Miu Miu campaign that she revealed on Instagram on Thursday
Family: Wade shares Zaya with his ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches-Wade. His current wife Gabrielle Union (pictured, center) is her stepmother
The jacket hung loosely and featured baggy sleeves.
In a second snap, she opened the coat to reveal a buttoned-up gray cardigan underneath, along with a white blouse peaking above its collar.
Zaya matched the coat with a yellow skirt of the same material, and she carried a rectangular brown leather handbag.
The stepdaughter of Gabrielle Union wore her dark hair long and tied back.
Later on Friday she shared another outfit from a photoshoot on the same cavernous gray set.
Rather than standing out, she matched her surroundings this time with a knee-length charcoal overcoat with peaked lapels.
Zaya again wore a gray sweater, though in a pull-over design, and this time she paired it with a black skirt covered in small white polka dots.
She appeared to wear the same footwear with both ensembles, a set of cream-colored, pointy-toed heels of modest height, with extra straps decorating the tops.
This time around, Zaya accessorized with a chocolate-colored handbag, and she wore her hair down.
In June, Zaya’s father recalled the difficult conversation with his daughter that made him reassess his own parenting and public image.
Unmissable: She wore a chic mustard yellow corduroy coat and a matching skirt with a gray cardigan in the post
Darker: A second post on Friday featured a stylish charcoal overcoat with peaked lapels, which she wore with a black polka dot skirt
On point: The transgender model rocked a gray pull-over sweater and pointy-toed heels
Accessorized: She displayed her boxy brown leather handbag and wore her long dark hair down
Speaking at the CAA Amplify Summit event in Ojai, California, last month, Wade, 41, talked about his daughter’s transition and coming out, revealing he long had inklings she was a member of the the LGBTQ+ community before she officially came out, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
When she was just eight, Zaya indicated in a school assignment she was gay, according to Buzzfeed News.
Several years later, Zaya came out as transgender to her family, but Wade was saddened to see just how scared she was to speak with him.
‘I came home and I just remember my daughter — my child — being scared to talk me, like hiding in my wife’s arm in the chair,’ he said. ‘I think I’m just the dad that’s like, “Hey, come and tell me anything. I’m a cool dad.”‘
The fear Zaya was expressing, however, prompted Wade to reexamine himself.
‘Because maybe I ain’t what I think I am. I haven’t done what I think,’ he said. ‘That first moment of seeing that — and I was having a conversation yesterday talking about this — I had to go look at myself in the mirror and ask why was my child scared to tell me something about herself.’
Wade realized just how much he had to learn as he navigated social media with Zaya amid her transition and coming out.
The former Miami Heat player said there ‘was so much that I didn’t know about my child, and so much education that needed to happen.’
He also described just how integral communication was between him and his daughter, with Zaya having gained a wealth of information about what she was going through research.
In turn, Wade says this made him become a better listener as he followed his daughter’s lead on her identity.
‘I think the hardest part about it is shutting out the world and shutting out the people that really are not in the circle, but that have opinions,’ he said.
‘I had to go look at myself in the mirror’: Zaya’s dad, NBA icon Dwyane Wade, recalled in June that he had to re-examine his ‘cool dad’ status after seeing just how scared his she was to come out to him; seen in March 2022 in LA
The star’s revelation comes after Wade moved his family out Florida due to the state’s anti-LGBTQ policies.
During an interview with journalist, host and NBA reporter Rachel Nichols on her show Headliners, Wade explained why he decided to leave the state he called home, despite being a celebrated figure.
‘You know, obviously, the taxes are great. Having Wade County is great. But my family would not be accepted or feel comfortable there. And, so that’s one of the reasons why I don’t live there,’ he stated.
‘A lot of people don’t know that. I have to make decisions for my family, not just personal, individual decisions.’
Wade and Union accepted the prestigious President’s Award for their support of the LGBTQ+ community in February at the 54th Annual NAACP Awards.
Delivering a powerful speech, the former basketball player addressed his daughter from the stage, praising her for handling the ‘ignorance in our world.’
‘Zaya,’ he began, ‘as your father, all I’ve wanted to do is get it right. I have sat back and watched how graceful you have taken on the public scrutiny and even though it’s not easy, I watched you walk out of the house every morning as yourself.’
The proud father continued: ‘I admire how you have handled the ignorance in our world. I admire that you face it every day. To say that your village is proud of you is an understatement.’
Concluding his remarks, the 13-time NBA All-Star said: ‘Zaya, you have made me a better human just simply by being who you were born to be. Our baby girl, Zaya Wade. Thank you for showing the world what courage looks like. I am proud that I was chosen to stand in place as your father. Thank you so much to the NAACP for this incredible honor.’
In August, Wade filed a petition to allow Zaya to legally change her gender, and name from Zion Malachi Airamis Wade to Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade. Zaya has been going by the name of Zaya for two years.
Zaya’s birth mother Siohvaughn Funches-Wade, who was married to Dwyane from 2002 to 2007, previously said in court documents that she believed Wade ‘may be pressuring our child to move forward with the name and gender change in order to capitalize on the financial opportunities that he has received from companies.’
In her filed opposition, she said she wants Zaya to wait until she’s 18 before changing her name and alleging that Wade was pushing for the name change for business.
‘I have concerns that (Dwyane) may be pressuring our child to move forward with the name and gender change in order to capitalize on the financial opportunities that he has received from companies,’ she said in her legal filing.
She also cited a conversation in April during which she claims Dwyane told her ‘that a lot of money had been already made and that additional money will be made in relation to our child’s name and gender issue.’
‘(Dwyane) told me that he intended to make our child very famous due to the name and gender issue and also informed me that there would be endorsements/contracts associated therewith,’ she claimed.
Wade hit back at his ex on Instagram at the time, slamming her claims that he’s exploiting their daughter, accusing her of ‘hurting their children’ with her lawsuit, and reminding the world of their bitter 2011 divorce battle, which resulted in him being awarded sole custody of both their children.
Rising star! Zaya is now a model, and earlier this year made her runway debut for Miu Miu during Paris Fashion Week; pictured in March in LA
Taking a stand: The star’s revelation comes after Wade moved his family out Florida due to the state’s anti-LGBTQ policies; seen in January in West Hollywood
In February, Funches-Wade’s petition was refused and Zaya was granted permission to change her name and gender.
Ever since Zaya came out to her family – and then to the world – she has had Wade’s full-fledged support. Not only did he lovingly accept his daughter’s sexual identify, but he – along with Union – set out on a journey to learn as much as he could about the LGBTQ+ community.
Wade first revealed that Zaya was transgender to the public in February 2020; she has since launched a major career for herself as a model and has become a budding social media star – gaining more than 603,000 followers on her Instagram account.
Wade explained that Zaya later told him and Union that she knew was transgender since she was three years old, but that it took years of doing ‘research’ for her to be able to voice it to her loved ones.
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