Zaya Wade has made her debut as a runway model at Paris Fashion Week.
Walking the runway for Miu Miu, the 15-year-old strutted her stuff in an olive-green matching knit top and skirt with an oversized jacket.
The young model was supported by her father, Dwyane Wade, and stepmother Gabrielle Union, who sat in the front row of the show.
They were joined by the family’s stylist, Thomas Christos Kikis, who later shared a video of Zaya walking the runway on his Instagram account.
“Tears in my eyes as I watched Zaya Wade make her debut at Miu Miu today. Thank you Dwyane Wade for your endless trust in my vision, and thank you Zaya Wade for showing me what it means to believe in yourself.”
After the show, Dwyane shared an Instagram story where he is seen hugging his daughter.
Zaya later shared an Instagram post with behind-the-scenes images from the show and of her runway walk.Her father commented saying, “To witness your grace is something @zayawade I am Proud of you”.
Dwyane Wade honoured his daughter Zaya in his NAACP Image Awards acceptance speech. They are pictured here at a 2022 Disney premiere. (PHOTO: Getty Images)
Last month, Zaya was granted her official name and gender change by a Los Angeles judge.
She was born Zion Malachi Airamis Wade and in 2020 she came out as a transgender woman.
Zaya chose to change only her first name, so her full name now reads as Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade on all documentation.
The gender marker on Zaya’s documents now matches her gender identity.
On the same day, Dwyane and Gabrielle Union accepted the president’s award at the 2023 NAACP Image Awards.
Dwyane honoured Zaya in his acceptance speech. He noted that as he’s navigated life with his daughter, he was struck by how she’s been an example of courage for the world.
“Zaya, you’ve made me a better human just simply by being who you were born to be: our baby girl, Zaya Wayde.”
When Zaya first came out in 2020, she faced a lot of negativity online and Dwyane believes she deserves praise for how she’s handled it.
“I’ve sat back and watched how graciously you’ve taken on the public scrutiny and, even though it’s not easy, I’ve watched you walk out of that house every morning as yourself.
“I admire how you’ve handled the ignorance in our world. I admire you.”
Since coming out in 2020, Zaya has experimented with her style while attending red-carpet events with Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union. (PHOTO: Getty Images)
At 15, Zaya has already taught her dad many valuable lessons, including how to communicate effectively.
“Zaya, as your father, all I’ve wanted to do was get it right. Thank you for showing me that there’s more than just one way to communicate effectively.
“You’ve taught me that communication with my mouth isn’t enough. I have to also communicate with my two ears and my two eyes.”
In the acceptance speech, Dwyane reflected on parenthood and how much being a father means to him.
“As your father, my job isn’t to create a version of myself or direct your future. My role is to be a facilitator to your hopes, your wishes and your dreams. I am proud that I was chosen to stand in place as your father.”
Zaya Wade strutting her stuff at Paris Fashion Week in October 2022. (PHOTO: Getty Images)
In a 2019 interview Dwyane said when Zaya was only three years old,he and his ex-wife SiohvaughnFunches-Wade, Zaya's mother, noticed“he wasn’t on the boy vibe that older brother Zaire was on”.
“I had to look myself in the mirror and say, 'What if your son comes home and tells you he's gay? What are you going to do? You're going to talk about strength and courage.'
“You can learn something from your kids. In our household that's all we talk about. We talk about making sure our kids be seen by each of us. We want them to be whoever they feel they can be in this world. That's our goal.”
Then in 2020, when Zaya first came out, Dwyane publicly shared the news, saying, “We are proud parents of a child in the LGBTQ+ community and we are proud allies as well. We take our roles and responsibilities as parents very seriously.”
In August 2022 Dwyane petitioned on Zaya’s behalf to change her name and gender marker.
In November, Siohvaughn filed an objection to the changes, but Dwyane advocated for the change even more.
“This petition is about empowering Zaya to live her truth. This petition is about allowing Zaya to take on the milestones of being a young adult with confidence and joy and to ensure that those moments are not clouded by self-doubt that comes from checking a box or signing a name that does not reflect her identity.”
Dwyane has two children with Siohvaughn, a son with ex-girlfriend Aja Metoyer and a daughter with his current wife, Gabrielle Union.
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Gabrielle says that since the changes have been made official, Zaya has been the happiest person.
“We kept singing, ‘Say my name, say my name,’ – because to some people, it just feels like paperwork but to her, it’s her truth and it’s her reality and we support that,” she says.
“Being in her orbit, you want to catch up, you want to keep up. I mean her first choice for college is MIT. This is not a dim bulb here.”
Gabrielle Union says she is happy Zaya gets to live her truth. (PHOTO: Getty Images)
Gabrielle also shared her admiration for Zaya in an interview during the NAACP Image Awards.
“She’s incredibly smart, incredibly bright and a phenomenal leader. I’m just happy for her that she gets to be exactly who she is.”
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Supporting Zaya as her stepmother always came naturally for Gabrielle.
“It’s not hard to love your kid. I think someone else’s opinions of us are none of our business. I think there’s a lot of hurt people out there and scared people who project their hurt and fears and unfortunate childhood trauma onto other people,” Gabrielle says.
Dwyane echoed his wife’s sentiments, saying they understand what’s going on in the black transgender community.
“Even though we wish our 15-year-old daughter could just be and go under the radar, her calling is bigger. So we’re going to use this opportunity to keep speaking, continue to keep supporting – until we get change.”
SOURCES: HOLLYWOODLIFE.COM,EONLINE.COM, ETONLINE.COM, DAILYMAIL.CO.UK, TODAY.COM, PEOPLE.COM
