Dwyane Wade makes statement with his Versace campaign: "I'm not like Russell Westbrook who dresses himself and goes shopping”
Dwyane Wade may not have Russell Westbrook's knack for fashion, but he's without a doubt enjoying himself while finding his own new style. Throughout his career, Wade pushed the boundaries of fashion during his pregame arrivals, famously making the 3/4 cut pants popular.
However, Westbrook belongs in a league of his own when it comes to his fashion sense. The former MVP has time and time again managed to push the status quo of what's fashionably acceptable in today's NBA. Unsurprisingly, this gave way to his own clothing line as well as plenty of modeling opportunities.
Wade finds himself in a similar position now. After retiring from basketball at the end of the 2018-19 season, Wade has rebranded himself as somewhat of a fashionista. In 2022 he made his presence felt at the Meta Gala, which set the stage for his Versace Eyewear campaign. During a recent interview with Esquire, Wade said:
"I'm not like Russell Westbrook, who dresses himself and goes shopping. I'm not a good shopper. I'm not going to lie. I'm terrible when it comes to shopping. Nothing looks good in the stores to me, but then they send it to my house and I'm like, 'Oh, I love this.'
"You got to know your strengths/ You got to know your weaknesses. So, when the NBA changed the rules, I hired a stylist, Calyann Barnett, who I worked with throughout my entire basketball career. It was great for us, because I think we were a part of the wave that brought attention to the NBA and to fashion again."
Above, you can see Dwyane Wade's former teammate and longtime friend LeBron James roasting him for copying his pregame fit several years ago.
Dwyane Wade becoming a fashion icon
With his recent involvement in fashion, Dwyane Wade has been able to see changing trends firsthand. Currently, he said, there are a lot of unisex clothes hitting the market. While some consider unisex looks to be risky, he likes to think of them as "fashion opportunities."
Although he knows that a lot of men are content to just rock what he calls the, "game-day vibe," men are getting increasingly involved in fashion in 2023. He spoke about his involvement in the Versace eyewear campaign, explaining that it was something he had always wanted to be a part of.
“When the opportunity came to further our relationship last year and to be a part of this Versace Eyewear campaign, I was like, ‘Oh, wait, low-key, this is something I've always wanted to do,'" Wade said.
"I travel the world. I see all those good-looking David Beckhams and all those guys all on these billboards, always with eyeglasses or with watches or all these things. So, it was a big opportunity to be a part of a huge campaign.”
With LeBron James rapidly approaching the NBA's all-time scoring record, it will be interesting to see what Wade wears should he wind up attending.