Gabrielle Union-Wade, Dwyane Wade on New Janie and Jack Collection
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Janie and Jack, the children’s wear brand, is collaborating with the Wade family (as in Gabrielle Union-Wade, Dwyane Wade and their three-year-old daughter Kaavia) on a spring 2022 collection.
The Kaavia James Union-Wade x Janie and Jack collection is inspired by Kaavia herself and designed in partnership with her parents. The collection was created for girls and boys, ranging from six months to 18 years, following Janie and Jack’s recent expansion into the tween category in 2021.
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“Originally we became fans of Janie and Jack when we started receiving gift packages from Janie and Jack before we even announced she [Kaavia] was here,” said the 49-year-old Union-Wade, discussing how they got together.
“When the gifts started arriving, there was a lot of Janie and Jack, and we loved it. When she was born and we were putting her in it, and we’re washing it, that was where the rubber hit the road,” she said. Some other brands were cute but couldn’t survive the laundry, while “Janie and Jack could survive multiple washings” and never lost their shape or colors. When Janie and Jack approached her about doing a collaboration, the actress immediately said yes.
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Wade, the retired basketball star and businessman, added, “We’ve been fans of Janie and Jack for years and are so excited to have partnered with them on this collection. The colors and patterns seen throughout bring on a certain kind of joy and perfectly embody our very own Kaavia James. It was a true collaboration where our vision as parents of a three-year-old has been brought to life.”
The offering, which includes shorts, tops, dresses and polo shirts, features African-inspired floral block prints and bold rainbow stripes, matching back to accessories such as bucket hats and socks. Among the collection’s details are French terry fabrics, three-tiered ruffles and crochet detailing. Retail prices range from $10.50 to $74, and the 41-piece collection is available Wednesday on Janieandjack.com and Janie and Jack retail stores. Select pieces will also be sold on Saks.com.
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They have been working on this collection for the past year and a half.
“We wanted to do it right. We wanted to make sure we were all on the same page, and our values were in alignment. Sometimes everything happens organically for a reason, and like-minded people come together,” she said.
According to Union-Wade, she and Wade started with a vision board that expressed what they were thinking. “We were taking from her [Kaavia] life, her interests, her friendships, the joys that she has and things that she’s into it. What does it mean to be a young Black girl in the world where everything is a possibility? We wanted to create this joy and magic that includes everyone. What could that look like?”
When they came up with all their favorites, they showed Kaavia and asked what she liked. “We showed her the materials we wanted to use. There were things she didn’t like and they’re not in the collection. We leaned into what she sparked to, the things that she pointed to, the things that she didn’t want to take off,” she said.
Since Kaavia is three, and just started toilet training and goes to school, uncomplicated designs were important, Union-Wade said. “She has to be able to get it on and off, and if she can’t get the attention of her teacher, we need to make sure her clothes don’t lend themselves to accidents,” she said. She called the line “fashion-forward” with the patterns, crochet and three-tiered ruffles, but said it had to be practical.
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Union-Wade said that aspect reminded her of a story of how she met Alicia Keys. “I was in this gown the first time I was presenting at this big awards show, and I had to go to the bathroom before I was presenting on stage, and I couldn’t put the snaps back together. And Alicia was in the bathroom, and I said, ‘I’m a big fan, can you help me put this back together?'” Union-Wade said.
She said Kaavia’s best friend is Crosby Sparrow, the son of actress Nicole Lyn and entrepreneur Chad Easterling, and they have a BFF collection for Janie and Jack. Both Kaavia and Sparrow are featured in the ad campaign.
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“They love to match. They like when they have similar things on,” she said.
It remains to be seen how often they will do collections. “We’ll see how the public responds and hopefully this will be a long-standing partnership,” she said.
Asked how they will promote the collection, Union-Wade said the whole family was photographed for the social media campaign, which will be on all their social media. Her stepdaughter Zaya Wade, who is 14, will be wearing the collection, too.
“Zaya is all about fashion, and using fashion to express herself. As a member of the LGBTQIA community, she’s all about expression, and now that she’s in high school, she’s finding herself and experimenting with different fashion. When she expresses an interest in having her own [fashion line], we will run with that,” Union-Wade said. “She is a muse for a number of different designers. She’s a fashion darling.”
Janie and Jack is now owned by Go Global Retail, a brand investment firm, which acquired the brand from the Gap Inc. last April. Earlier, Janie and Jack, which was founded in 2002, was owned by Gymboree. Gap paid $35 million to buy Janie and Jack’s assets in 2019.
“The Wades have been such incredible supporters of Janie and Jack over the years, allowing us to be a part of so many special family moments. Their passion, purpose and exceptional eye for fashion have always been an inspiration,” said Vanessa McClure, designer of Janie and Jack. “With this partnership, we hope to celebrate friendship and style through an imagined world by Kaavia James.”
Union-Wade added, “The colors and patterns perfectly encapsulate the personality of our ‘Shady Baby’ Kavia James…”
“Shady Baby” is also the name of Union-Wade and Wade’s New York Times bestselling children’s picture book, which was published last May.
FOR MORE STORIES:
In Second Memoir, Gabrielle Union Goes Even Deeper
Gwyneth Paltrow and Gabrielle Union Get Real About Motherhood, Mental Health and Weight Gain
Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade to Start Baby Line
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