House of Deréon was a ready-to-wear fashion line created by Beyoncé and her mother, Tina Knowles. Many styles for the label were derived from the past three generations of women in the Knowles family, with the name Deréon being a tribute to Beyoncé's maternal grandmother, Agnèz Deréon.
The tagline of the brand was "Couture. Kick. Soul." as Beyoncé represents the "kick", her mother represents the "couture," and her grandmother being a symbol of "soul."
The brand was introduced in 2005 and unofficially discontinued in 2012.
Background and history[]
The House of Deréon was introduced on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2005, and was also featured on The Tyra Banks Show. The clothing mixed hip-hop influences, such as its use of denim, with ultra-feminine flourishes like embroidery and ruffles. In an interview with Ebony magazine, Beyoncé said "I love the clothes from the '70s, my mother's clothes. I love clothes from the '40s, my grandmother's style, so elegant. We wanted to take elements from my grandmother's legacy—the beaded lace, lush colors, fine fabrics—and mix them with clothes from my mother's generation and my generation."
I grew up in a fabric store. Fortunately, my mother would say: 'Come on let's go to the fabric store,' and she would make all of these beautiful clothes for myself and the other ladies of Destiny's Child, and after so many years my fans said we want to buy these clothes somewhere, so it was a natural thing for us to do this line, and it's so great for us to be able to do it together, number one because we get to spend time together, and two because we have such respect for each others' taste.
The symbol for House of Deréon was often featured on the back pockets of jeans. Additionally included in the line's design were styles that alluded to Agnèz Deréon's era, such as retro pencil skirts. In 2005, it was reported that Beyoncé had an active role in the House of Deréon's design department, approving and discussing fashion designs and ideas. The brand's junior line, Deréon, was introduced in 2006, with the tag line, "Where the sidewalk and catwalk meet". The Deréon line included casualwear, such as sweatpants and embroidered hooded sweatshirts. In 2008, Tina Knowles designed a House of Deréon collection of vintage-inspired dresses that were made available at Bloomingdale's. The collection was based on the 1950s-style dresses that Beyoncé wore for her role as Etta James in the film Cadillac Records.
'Deréon' junior line[]
In 2006, Beyoncé partnered with her younger sister Solange Knowles to expand the family brand and to appeal to younger consumers. Both sisters have featured in marketing campaigns and advertisements for the brands. The tagline for the Deréon brand is, "Where the sidewalk and the catwalk meet." Deréon is solely a junior collection featuring edgy fashions including various types of trendy shoes, embroidered clothing, jeans and a large array of casualwear. While prices of clothing from the House of Deréon brand are a bit steep, Deréon offers more affordable and realistic prices.
Beyoncé has mentioned the brands in her songs "Get Me Bodied" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)".