16-year-old Zaya Wade, former NBA player Dwyane Wade‘s daughter and actress Gabrielle Union’s stepdaughter, is already making noise in the fashion industry. Identifying as transgender in 2020, she turned to fashion to express herself. Still a teenager, she is not foreign to slaying on red carpets and rightfully reserves a front-row seat at fashion week. Making her parents proud, the influencer/model has, in fact, made her runway debut at the Miu Miu show at Paris Fashion Week in March this year.

With Paris Fashion Week’s return for the Spring-Summer season, the young model had some new updates for those who follow her career in the $1.7 trillion fashion industry.

Zaya Wade is learning from her experiences

At Paris Fashion Week, she was a part of Miuccia Prada’s spring collection show. After the show, she was asked if anything about her had changed since she got into the fashion industry.

She revealed to ELLE that her confidence has increased. After all, she has worked with brands like Marni, Tiffany & Co., and Puma.

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Zaya said, “I didn’t know everything about myself, but having that expression through clothing allowed me to come into my own. It gave me a level of confidence that I have needed and will probably need forever: it gave me the confidence to thrive.”

“To me, it’s about showing the world and myself that I’m just me. I’m still who I am and who I continue to want to be.” The interviewer was quick to inquire, “And who is that?” The 16-year-old asserted,

“I’m a lot of things. A really big part of me is my love for education and my strive to better the world in different ways. Obviously a big part of my life as a trans person is to be impactful in my community. I continue to take the question of ‘Who am I?’ and foster it and grow and, you know, evolve. Every day I ask myself, ‘Who am I?’ And, like, how can I continue to move forward and better answer that question every single day?”

There is one important aspect that led to Zaya Wade’s success. It is her father’s unconditional support. However, not long ago, Dwyane got a brutal reality check when Zaya hid away from her father in her stepmother’s arms.

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Dwyane Wade got a brutal reality check

When she came out to her family as transgender, Wade supported her eventually. He revealed in interviews that it was hard for him at first to let go of the dream of making his child a basketball player. Talking to People, Papa Wade confessed, “I came home, and I just remember my daughter – my child – being scared to talk to me, like hiding in my wife’s arm in the chair.

“Because maybe I ain’t what I think I am. I haven’t done what I think. That first moment of seeing that…I had to go look at myself in the mirror and ask why was my child scared to tell me something about herself.”

When the news hit the media, the family was on the receiving end of the most harsh blows. Miami Heat legend had then admitted, “I think the hardest part about it is shutting out the world.” Her mother, Gabrielle, voiced, “The truth gets lost. Whoever gets to the microphone first sets the tidal wave.”

Three years have passed since, and Zaya has her father right next to her, supporting her as reels through her life. She said that Wade has been an inspiration to her. His support for his daughter has been one of the most important things in her life. She wants to be like the 3x NBA champion, learn from experiences in her life, and grow as a person.

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