Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade's Proudly Baby Care Brand Now Available at Target

Creating a baby care brand for melanated babies was the Wades' goal, but making that product line affordable for Black and brown families everywhere is the ultimate victory.

Proudly
Courtesy of Proudly

Three years ago, when Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union-Wade had their baby, Kaavia, they noticed a gap in the market for melanated baby skincare products. While trying to determine what products worked best for their daughter, they discovered many Black parents had the same dilemma. In response to a global need, the couple launched Proudly, a baby care brand for melanated babies, inspired by their social media influencer baby, Kaavia.

Today, Proudly announced expansion into retail with an exclusive Target partnership. The Proudly baby body and bum care line will feature diapers, wipes, baby wash, diaper creams, balms, and more and will be available at Target stores nationwide and online at Target.com.

"What's new with Proudly, is making the products as accessible as possible, and the best way to do that is through the retail space, and partnering with Target was a no-brainer because they have Black Beyond Measure initiatives. Not only walking the walk, but they are also talking the talk," Gabrielle said in an interview with Kindred by Parents.

Not only is Proudly Black-owned, but the couple's team is 90% women and 95% people of color, and most are parents and grandparents. Since many of the other products on the market aren't created with Black people in mind, these employees and parents needed to be people of color since they were charged with creating, distributing, marketing, researching, and developing products for our children.

Dwyane told Kindred by Parents that the name Proudly was perfect for their brand because he and Gabrielle are proud to create a company of this magnitude. The famed couple partnered with Dr. Naana Boayke, a dermatologist of color who understands melanated skin. Dr. Boayke worked with the team to develop formulas, meeting the unique needs of melanated skin, and ultimately creating products made by people of color for people of color.

The Union-Wade household keeps busy creating and managing multiple businesses while juggling parenting and Gabrielle weighed in on the key to balancing it all.

"It's the village," she said.

The actress credits their upbringing to having been raised with their grandmothers at the forefront of their lives. A few years ago, the couple moved their mothers from Chicago and Arizona to be closer. Gabrielle's little sister also moved in to help with child care. She says it is necessary and the hard work of their family members' support but affirms the village's importance.

Although Gabrielle and Dwyane share the same vision for the business, they differ in parenting. Wade described his parenting style as confronting issues head-on, and Gabrielle added that he also focuses on each child's needs. The retired NBA star says that although Gabrielle may be more comfortable in some areas of parenting, the two are always on the same page.

With parenting, the more hands on deck, the better. Family relationships across multiple generations are becoming increasingly important. Gabrielle believes multi-generational living for Black and brown families is a parenting standard and the reality of every person of color she knows. She and Dwyane adapted their norm, galvanized their family values, and used them as a business model for Proudly—a community of parents, grandparents, and caregivers that is organic and will provide honest feedback and direction for growing their brand.

Proudly's goal is to ensure accessibility and affordability for all so that people in Black and brown communities can reach their products. The duo is hoping to achieve that goal through the partnership with Target. They plan to educate our community so people are empowered, informed, and have the tools to flourish as parents.

"My wife and I want to get good price points, but also to reach the people who can't afford the most affordable baby products," said Dwyane. After donating over 30,000 diapers to 600 black and brown families in Miami in partnership with a diaper bank, Gabrielle and Dwyane are proud to give back while meeting the community's needs. The Union-Wade team plans to work with diaper banks worldwide to help those in need. "We are so grateful to be partnering with Target, which is aligned with our mission to embrace and celebrate babies of color," says Dwyane.

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