Wade's brand includes 18 different sock styles that are available online and at TargetPKWY
Dwyane Wade did not report to an NBA training camp this fall for this first time in 16 years, but the 13-time All-Star has not slowed down since his retirement. Wade's sock brand that he founded last year with Stance today released its first seasonal lifestyle collection, Pkwy by Dwyane Wade. It includes 18 different sock styles across three color capsules available online and at Target for $6.99-9.99 per pair. Wade spoke to THE DAILY about the new collection, his vision for the Pkwy brand and how he plans to continue staying active off the court.
Q: What is the goal for the lifestyle collection?
Wade: To bring those designs elements and all those cool patterns that I used in my first partnership, my Wade collection, now into Pkwy, but you get them for a lot cheaper. You get more bang for your buck. We started off in the NBA and MLB. We had their licensed line, and that was our entry point into this new journey and partnership. Now we get to take that and go nationwide.
Q: How important has the partnership with Stance been for Pkwy since it launched?
Wade: I wanted to start my own sock company before I met Stance. Over the last six-plus years, I've learned so much about this space. To now start that brand that I wanted to start, with Stance, we're coming in with a head start on competition. I'm looking forward to Pkwy finding its own identity.
Q: What does having Pkwy in Target stores do for the brand?
Wade: That was one of our big goals when we decided to create this company together: to see if we can get our brand to an audience in a bigger market. I'm pumped. As our fanbase grows and as Target hopefully asks for more collections from us, we want to be in a position to accommodate. What I'm excited about is the Pkwy design at a price that appeals to my fanbase worldwide.
Q: Will Pkwy look to start distributing outside the U.S.?
Wade: I would love to. Right now, my biggest thing is getting people to understand what our brand is. I have a shoe company in China, the Way of Wade brand, so that's definitely something that I want to happen. But at the same time, we're going to take steps and focus on being great where we are. When people ask for more and we have certain opportunities to go to Canada and China, we definitely want to be in a position to be able to do that.
Q: Is potentially having athlete endorsers on the radar for Pkwy?
Wade: We want this to be a lifestyle brand. If everything goes the way we plan, it will become that -- it will be more than just socks -- and we will have more people as faces of this company. That's the big goal.
Q: How does Pkwy fit into your overall vision for your off-court endeavors?
Wade: Pkwy is the intersection of everything that I love: Art, fashion, music and sports culture. We want to have a brand in Pkwy that can branch out and live in any one of these spaces. That, we feel, is the culture of our company.
Q: Will you look to combine all your brands under one umbrella?
Wade: The goal is to eventually put them all together and create Way of Wade Inc. one day. We're in the early stages of that, but it's definitely on my to-do list.
