We’ve been hard at work over here at Haute Living, putting together the June/July Miami and New York editions, both of which are now online for your reading pleasure. As has come to be Haute Living custom for the issues published at the start of the summer season, both editions are Hamptons themed, complete with an insider’s guide to navigating the upper crust of the East End in 2010.
The cover of the Miami edition features none other than Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade, a free agent whose future with the team is uncertain. Originally, Wade was to appear on the cover of our February/March edition, but the cover spot ultimately went to owner of the Dolphins Stephen Ross, in honor of the Super Bowl. Featuring Wade now seems more appropriate anyways; while the NBA season will officially come to a close tonight, the campaign to keep Wade tearing up the courts at the AAA is in full swing.
I first met with Dwyane in December out at Boomers! in Dania Beach, where he was hosting one of the Wade’s World Foundation‘s annual “3 Under the Tree” events. It also happened to be a day that he was being trailed by Ustream for a special All Access broadcast, so our original interview streamed live over the Internet, my first on-camera experience. (I would direct you to the video so you could see how I fared, but it has since been archived and is not accessible.)
It was an exciting day for all involved, especially the hundreds of kids who were able to join Wade on the go-kart track, challenge him in games of laser tag, and just hang out with South Florida’s biggest superstar. During our interview, we discussed why he feels it is so important to give back to the community, and you can read his reasons in the cover feature.
When we spoke for the follow-up interview in late May, his NBA season was over, but he was gearing up for a summer full of Wade’s World events both in Miami and his hometown of Chicago. Wade indicated he would opt-out of his contract with the Heat just after midnight on July 1, making him a free agent (reportedly being courted by the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks, two of the few teams that can afford to add him to their rosters), and Miamians aren’t letting him go without a fight. Haute Living’s cover article is focused around the Miami Heat’s “We Want Wade” campaign, which allows fans to virtually interact with Wade on www.WeWantWade.com by uploading videos and sending messages about why he should keep donning a Heat jersey for the seasons to come. The site features protocol for fans about how to remind Wade of South Florida should they spot the NBA legend out at a Miami hot spot, and many have taken those protocols to heart. In the article, Wade explains, “Florida is known for its orange juice, so people have been sending me oranges—things like that to make me remember South Florida wherever I go. It makes me feel welcome, knowing the city is behind me through thick and thin. I appreciate the Heat and the fans’ support for that.” In the piece, Wade also discusses the factors that are weighing on his decision, which will be announced in early July.
In addition to the cover profile on Dwyane Wade, the June/July Haute Living Miami edition also a stunning fashion spread “Sass on the Beach“, photographed at the Mondrian South Beach, and jet-set summer travel destinations Ibiza, Saint-Tropez, and Montenegro, as well as coverage of timepieces, luxury autos, megayachts, jewelry, cigars, and more. The issue, which will be formally released during an exclusive event at the Opium Group’s Louis Bar-Lounge on June 29, will be distributed to high-end locales in South Florida over the coming weeks, as well as at more than 180 private airports and FBOs across the country. Happy reading.
