“Me and my body, we love putting on clothes,” Dwyane Wade once told People. Over the years, the NBA icon has carved out a space in fashion, blending boldness with elegance and redefining what style means for athletes. Fashion became his second language—a way to express identity beyond the hardwood. But back when Wade first stepped into that world, things looked very different. Taking fashion risks meant stepping into criticism, not just the spotlight. In a recent interview, he reflected on how far things have come—and the steep price he paid along the way. What does it cost to stand out in a $365.70 billion industry?
Since that time, the landscape has undeniably shifted. Athletes often share the spotlight on the fashion scene. In fact, this year’s Met Gala saw several sports stars in attendance, from Serena Williams to Simone Biles. This is the change that Wade spoke about in his interview. But what about before that? Did sports athletes always have it easy? When did the big fashion giants realize sports athletes on the fashion scene?
While, of course, athletes played a crucial role in the fashion world. Think Dennis Rodman’s flamboyant style and Allen Iverson’s comfortable and cool baggy fits. While they had a massive following across both the fashion and sports scenes, it is nothing compared to what the current players enjoy. Speaking to The New York Times, Wade explained how the fashion world wasn’t like that.
“Athletes are very long, and we’re very gangly, and no one wanted to make special clothes for us at that time. Plus, it was before social media really blew up, so fashion couldn’t see that someone like myself is walking in with an audience of 40 to 50 million people. They couldn’t tell if athletes really helped the fashion space or not,” Wade said. As per The New York Times, it took him 3 years to meet Vogue’s editor Anna Wintour.
Cut to present, 2025 was Wade’s sixth appearance for the biggest fashion night Met Gala. But he revealed that earlier, athletes had to write short stories describing their impact to be invited to shows. “We had to sell ourselves. We had to write, essentially, short stories about why we should be at a fashion show. ‘Hey, my name is Dwyane Wade. I would love to come to the Dsquared2 show,’” Wade said. Now, we often see the 3x NBA champion gear up for fashion shows. He believes that it was the players’ efforts and the social media revolution that spurred this shift in the fashion scene in the US, which amassed $365.70 billion this year (as per Statista). And he is not wrong.
Players like Wade kept experimenting until they made it big. The Miami Heat legend has made some striking deals in the last few years, with notable ones including Versace and more. He will also be the guest editor of Players, which is set to become the first magazine focused on athletes and their style. That said, Wade knows how to do it! But who inspired him?
Who sparked Dwyane Wade’s interest in fashion and self-care?
Much credit for Wade’s classic fashion sense comes from his father and the men in his family. During interviews or when talking about his love for fashion and self-care, he has always mentioned his father, Dwyane Wade Sr. He described how, as a young boy, he watched his father and uncles, who were always well-dressed and took great care of themselves.
That is what influenced him. He also draws great inspiration from other people and their knowledge about fashion and self-love. He confessed to taking a keen interest in how someone is dressed during his first meeting with them. He takes it very seriously, and if you ask him, he believes that a person’s outfit says a lot about the person. “My father has always been a man who would take care of himself. My uncles took care of themselves. I always knew that’s what I wanted to do: I wanted to be one of them sharp-dressed men who smelled good, who stayed clean-shaved, and all that,” he said.
Not just outfits, he takes care of his skin as well as his nails. He revealed that he has been getting manicures and pedicures since 2007. His habit of painting his nails goes back to his playing days to protect them from damage.
Just recently, Wade revealed that he signed a deal to become the new face of Intuition by Aramis. Even when speaking about his deal with the fragrance brand, he recounted his memory of using his father’s scent. His family is a big part of Wade’s self-love and care regimen.
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