After paling around with Vogue magazine edtirix Anna Wintour and helping to bring geek-chic style to the NBA, it's no surprise that Dwyane Wade is gearing up to launch his own shoe line.
Wade, whose Nike contract recently expired, has inked a deal with the Chinese athletic company Li-Ning to bring his sartorial dreams to life in a collection aptly called WADE. The first project on the table for the brand is designing a sneaker, of course. The Miami Heat baller has tapped shoe designer Alejandro Ingelmo to collaborate on the footwear. Ingelmo is known for his modern and futuristic designs, so we're curious to see what the first creation for WADE will look like.
And for those who think Wade is simply slapping his name on the line without any creative input, think again.
"He’s already given me some guidelines and things he wanted out of the shoe. It’s a collaboration, it’s an open conversation between us," Ingelmo told SlamOnline.com.
We'll get a first look at the shoe collection, which Ingelmo says has a "lux feel," on fashion's biggest stage -- Mercredes-Benz New York Fashion Week -- this coming February.
And there's a lot riding on this collection. Wade has to make sure his NBA buddies are fans since there seems to be an inner-team style rivalry going on.
“I’m on a team with LeBron James and Chris Bosh, and they both dress well,” Wade told GQ magazine. “It gets competitive. If I don’t bring my A game, they’re going to outshine me," he said.
Are you pumped for Wade's shoe line? Check out some other NBA basketball players who have launched fashion lines in the slideshow below.
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