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“The right pair of shades are an outfit’s finishing touch. The right pair of Versace shades are a finishing touch, a talking point and so much more,” the NBA Hall of Famer offered about the new campaign.
By Chris Gardner
It’s been almost exactly a year since NBA great Dwyane Wade debuted as the new face of Versace men’s eyewear, and like an anniversary gift, there’s a new campaign to mark the ongoing partnership.
The Hall of Fame champion dons sunglass and optical styles from the latest men’s line in a series of images and videos for the fashion house run by Donatella Versace. The new campaign debuts Versace Profiles, the start of a new project from Versace that is designed to offer a more personal look at the model who stars in the campaign. As such, Wade was tasked with building a personal profile by way of choosing “items precious to him and to share the stories behind them, all while his physical profile is documented in photographs,” per Monday’s launch. He selected items like his first NBA championship ring, a camera and a photo of his daughter, Kaavia.
In an accompanying Q&A distributed by Versace, Wade said he’s inspired by the house for what they dream and achieve. “It’s a full world and lifestyle that Versace creates — clothes, bags, eyewear, homeware, fragrance, couture, kids wear and more,” offered Wade, who retired from the NBA in 2019, and has since released a New York Times best-selling book and pursued various business interests, including entrepreneurship, producing and philanthropy. “Donatella is such an inspiration in that way. She’s been at the top of her game since the start. Also, she and everyone at Versace have demonstrated such love and support of the LGBTQ+ community in so many ways and over such a long time. It is a community I care for and support passionately myself, and I’m glad to share this with Versace.”
Wade has a history with the house. He’s sat front row at Versace fashion shows, wore Donatella’s designs to the Met Gala and sported a Versace ensemble during the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Missouri last August. “It was a special moment, and I knew I had to be wearing Versace,” he said. See how he looks in the new glasses below.
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