A Blending of Brand: Zaire Wade, Yng.Dna, and Brewster

Lynne Palmer

Oct 23 2020

Brewster student Zaire Wade is a thoughtful and engaging young man with a gentle tenor that is unassuming and warm. This 17-year-old made his school choice following a Zoom interview with Jason Smith having never set foot on campus. Now, we know that Coach Smith has an impressive and legendary record of recruitment, but when you are the son of NBA superstar Dwayne Wade, your options are likely substantial and far reaching.

But Brewster was what Zaire was looking for—a one-year experience that was different and, in hiswords, “better,” in a community where he could have an impact, which is hard to do when you only have nine months to do it and are in the middle of a pandemic! But making an impact is something in which young Mr. Wade already has experience—while he was playing in a competitive AAU league and traveling to and from tournaments. In one tournament, the announcer kept calling him as “Young Flash” (a reference to his Dad). His father felt strongly that it was important for Zaire to have his own name—one that honored the gene pool but was identifiable to him. That was how Zaire’s company, Yng.Dna, began: a reference and reflection of heredity and youth. His coach and confidante, Jalen Newsome, scribbled this new identity on paper and then created a T-shirt that got a lot of attention on social media. That turned into a merchandising idea (again, fun T-shirts) for a basketball clinic they ran in Miami for young basketball players. They were amazed at how much interest there was in the shirts, and from there the idea expanded. Zaire’s role as brand ambassador to Yng.Dna means regular check-ins with his tight-knit crew on designs and creative concepts. He receives no financial profit, but says he benefits from the satisfaction of knowing that he recognized his father’s advice that “life is bigger than basketball.”

Once at Brewster, Zaire bumped into Head of School Craig Gemmell on a campus walk, and they talked for 20 minutes about the journey that brought Zaire here and what his expectations were for his short time as a postgraduate. “Make sure you give back where you can,” Gemmell encouraged. As quarantining ended and students began to interact as a group, students began asking about the logo on Zaire’s clothing and where they could get it. Each day, he would pass the Campus Store on his way to the Estabrook and could envision what his Yng.Dna brand would look like on the shelves. He found CFO Susan Harrington there one day and asked if it was possible to create something for the store and how it might benefit Brewster. From there, a collaborative effort between Brewster’s Marketing Team and the Yng.Dna creative team developed designs that integrated both brands. Next, Laney Harrold ’23 (through her own Brewster internship) helped identify merchandise that would be the most popular with Brewster students. Production has begun on a T-shirt, sweatshirt, sweatpants, winter hat, and mask that will be available to students to purchase before winter break. Parents and other Brewster community members will have the opportunity to purchase online through Yng.Dna’s website. A portion of the proceeds will go to support the New Hampshire Student Leadership Program, entering its third year in summer 2021.

Zaire appreciates the impact he has had with kids and recognizes that his own story and self-awareness is closely tied to this endeavor. When asked what he sees for Yng.Dna in the future, he didn’t hesitate to share his vision for a more established brand influence. “I’d like to have a brand that is known around the world like Gucci,” he said, smiling. “That would be cool.”

For more about the Yng.Dna story, check out this video on YouTube.