Source: Renell Medrano / DAZED
Zaya Wade is officially a cover girl.
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union‘s daughter made the cover of DAZED magazine at just 15 years old. As a fashion lover, Zaya made sure she got some ‘fits off, almost exclusively in Miu Miu for the full spread.
In the cover story, she explains that her fashion roots come from her parents, which jump-started her interest and used it as a form of self-expression.
“My relationship with fashion has really evolved over the years. It started out as, ‘Oh, my parents are super fashionable, and I want to dress up and be as fashionable as them,’” Zaya told DAZED. “But, as time has passed and I’ve become more integrated into the fashion world, it’s become a really important part of expressing myself and my identity. Whether I’m wearing a dress for winter formal or wearing a suit for a shoot, it’s just a way to level up my iconic-ness, I feel.”
Source: Renell Medrano / DAZED
Her fashion sense isn’t the only thing she picked up on from her parents, she notes that Gabrielle Union’s flawless skincare and makeup secrets have been passed down.
“The lesson has changed over time, but more recently, it’s that beauty is in yourself. It’s about being you and expressing yourself the way you want to,” she explained.“[She] tries to teach me that beauty standards are arbitrary and that they don’t mean anything. They don’t matter anymore; what people thought was the standard is not. And just that being myself is the best technique out there.”
But aside from the luxe threads that being a kid of famous parents afford her, Zaya assures that being trans also has its challenges like dealing with rampant transphobia.
“A lot of attention equals a lot more hate, a lot of transphobia, and [there is] a lot of pressure on me, but I’m also able to reach more people. The positives of having such an inclusive platform completely outweigh all of the negativity online, which my support system has enabled me to filter out,” she told DAZED before explaining she’s been teaching her family more as well.
“I think it’s not my job, but it’s my honor to continue and further my family’s education and appreciation for the entire LBGTQ+ community as we grow together. As our understanding of acceptance has broadened over the past couple of years, we have made the strides to keep ourselves educated and combat the ignorance.”
Check out more photos of Zaya Wade’s first cover shoot below.
Source: Renell Medrano / DAZED
Source: Renell Medrano / DAZED
