The House of Deréon is a ready-to-wear fashion line introduced by singer Beyoncé Knowles and her mother/stylist Tina Knowles. The style and concept is inspired by three generations of women in their Creole family, with the name "Deréon" paying tribute to Beyoncé's grandmother, Agnèz Deréon. House of Dereon is not to be confused with the junior line of Dereon, both are from the Knowleses.
Expanding the brand, Beyonce and her sister Solange Knowles launched the junior line Deréon that is geared towards younger consumers and is more reasonably priced. Dereon was introduced in 2006. The tag line for Deréon is "Where the sidewalk and catwalk meet". This line includes more casualwear, such as sweatpants and embroidered hooded sweatshirts. Both women are models for both clothing lines and are featured on most marketing campaigns. In 2007, members of Beyoncé's touring band, Suga Mama appeared in print ads.
House of Deréon was announced to the media in September 2004, by Tina and Beyoncé Knowles. House of Dereon's tagline is "Couture.Kick.Soul" which represents the three generation of women. Agnez Dereon is the "soul," Tina Knowles is the "couture," and Beyonce is the "kick." While Beyoncé was performing in the group Destiny's Child, her mother Tina would design and sew their outfits, especially when the group was first starting out and did not have much money or access to designer clothing. Part of what called attention to Destiny's Child, besides their obvious talent, was their one-of-a-kind fashions. Their style set them apart, yet gave the group cohesion as a similar style, color or garment was worn by all the members.
The fashion line was first introduced on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and was also featured on The Tyra Banks Show. The clothing mixes hip-hop influences, such as its use of denim, with ultrafeminine 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."
Often featured, such as on the back pockets of jeans, is the agu (this is often confused with the fleur de lis which is commonly featured on the back pockets of Dereon jeans (introduced in 2006 see http://www.dereon.com , House of Dereon's junior line.) Additionally in the line's design are styles that allude to Agnèz Deréon's era, such as retro pencil skirts. It is reported that Beyoncé has an active role in the House of Deréon's design department, approving and discussing fashion designs and ideas. As for the line's latest venture, Beyonce and her mom have designed a collection of vintage-inspired dresses that will be available at Bloomingdale's. The line is based on the 50's-style dresses that Beyonce wore for her role as Etta James in the upcoming film Cadillac Records.
