Zaya Wade Shares Why She Decided to Wear Braids for Her Runway Debut

Zaya Wade is opening up about her runway debut. 

In her cover story for Seventeen, the model — whose dad and stepmom are Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union — reflected on why her appearance in Miu Miu’s show in Paris, which took place in March 2023, was something much bigger than just a career milestone.

“While I’m dressed up literally and figuratively, I’m also representing my community and that’s what makes it so much better,” said Zaya, who came out as transgender in 2020. 

At first, the 17-year-old felt “really concerned” about entering the fashion industry “as a Black woman.” But, she said, “I knew I wanted to represent a brand like Miu Miu that was young, popular and so cute” — while also staying true to herself.

“When I walked that show for the first time, I thought, ‘Should I take out my braids?’ There’s a stigma around Afrocentric looks in high fashion,” she said. 

However, inspired by model Anok Yai, who she praised as a “successful model in so many ways,” Zaya decided to wear her braids for the show. She recalled Miuccia Prada, Miu Miu founder and creative director, loving the hairstyle, which filled her with “so much joy.”

“What I was really thinking about the whole time on the runway was that I was doing this very authentically. I wasn’t diminishing the cultural importance of braids. I wasn’t hiding my transition, my gender or my skin,” she said.

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Elsewhere in the interview, Zaya opened up about navigating her skincare journey. “Since I’m obviously on hormones, I’ve had to switch my understanding of puberty to a more feminine side of things, and the introduction of estrogen has also been a game changer in my beauty regimen. I’ve never been happier than how I am on estrogen. I just feel so perfect.”

And although she’s focused on her skincare routine right now, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t love experimenting with her glam. “Makeup and hair, that’s my heart and soul expression,” she told the outlet. And now the whole world gets to see my face the way that I see my face.” 

“When my mascara is on and my eyebrows are done, no one can stop me. I’m at the top of the world. And if you give me the right kind of lip gloss combo, I’m me,” she said.

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In addition to Miu Miu, Zaya has starred in a campaign for Tiffany & Co and has fronted covers for CR Fashion Book, DAZED and Homme Girls. She’s also the cofounder of Translatable with her dad. The two created the digital platform, which provides LGBTQ+ youth a safe space to express themselves, in May 2024.