Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade pushes boundaries as much off the court as he does on it.
From the hot pink pants he wore after the Heat’s ‘W’ against the Pacers in Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, to the yellow V-neck cardigan, matching bow tie and nerd glasses he rocked during the ’09 NBA All-Star Weekend, it’s obvious the eight-time NBA All-Star baller isn’t afraid to punch up an outfit.
“Color is everything,” Wade says. “If you feel comfortable and confident enough, do it.”
We recently caught up with Wade at the ESPN The Magazine "Style and Sports" panel to breakdown his style sense and advice for achieving a statement-making look.
What’s influenced your style transformation over the years?
Wade: Time — getting more comfortable with who I am and my body. My stylist [Callyann Barnett] helps me push the envelope and keep my eye to the streets where I can see what’s hot and where I want to go.
How has collaborating with your stylist shaped your style?
It’s opened my eyes to the fashion world. I’ve always loved to dress, but I don’t think I was really big into fashion. Over the last five years, I’ve been evolving and just loving fashion so much that I look to see what every person has on, and I take something from everybody.
Describe your approach when putting together a look.
My style is very comfortable, casual and predictable from when I first put on something. The things I put around it are going to be unpredictable. I might have a black jacket on, but then I might throw on a different color pant. It’s all about taking something that is classic and making it more your style and more fashionable.
How does your style coincide with your personality?
The way you dress, even something as simple as the socks you wear, it says something about you. When I wear colorful things, it shows that I’m a risk taker, not only with style, but in life. I take risks, but I take calculated risks, and I think my style shows that.
What direction is your style heading this fall?
I don’t know, and that’s a good thing. You can’t reinvent the wheel. You can add a little something, but everything has pretty much been done in a sense — it’s just about the timing of when you do it. I always do something that’s a little different, so I got to figure it out.
What style advice can you offer high school athletes?
Be comfortable in whatever you decide to put on, and do what other guys aren’t doing. There are a lot of things people say guys shouldn’t [wear]. I’m a big fan of color. When men go to color, it becomes a risk. If you feel comfortable and confident enough to take that risk, do it. You’ll feel better about yourself, and the others will come around.
