House of Deréon
House of Deréon is a prêt-à-porter 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 family, with the name "Deréon" paying tribute to Beyoncé's grandmother, Agnèz Deréon.
Expanding the brand, Beyoncé and her sister Solange Knowles launched the junior line Deréon that is geared towards younger consumers and is more reasonably priced. 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. It is reported that Beyoncé has an active role in the House of Deréon's design department, approving and discussing fashion designs and ideas.
House of Deréon was announced to the media in September 2004, by Tina and Beyoncé Knowles. 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." [1]
Often featured, such as on the back pockets of jeans, is the fleur de lis a three- branched symbol representing the iris flower and its historic linkage to the French monarchy. It also recalls the French history of Louisiana and the designers' heritage from that state. 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.
House of Deréon has been criticised by animal-rights organization PETA because of the line's use of fur. This is because the company sources fur from China, where dog and cat fur is often mislabelled as other species, and animals are often skinned alive to make it easier to remove the skin. It is advised that customers do not buy any fur products from the House of Deréon line, as they could be purchasing fur that has been obtained in cruel and illegal ways. Other fashion labels who use fur sourced from China include Baby Phat and Sean John. As China has few rights regarding the treatment of animals, dog and cat fur can be easily mislabelled.
About Agnèz Deréon
Agnèz Deréon, later Agnèz Beyincé (1924 – 1984) was a French Créole Louisiana native [citation needed] whose surname and passion for creating beauty[citation needed] from the mundane is the inspiration[citation needed] for the clothing line House of Deréon.
Agnèz Deréon (actually born Agnès DeRouen), (pronounced dare-ay-on or duh-RAHN) was born on July 1, 1909 in Delcambre, New Iberia, Louisiana, the daughter of Eugène DeRouen and Odilia Broussard. Self-taught, she became a well known seamstress catering to private clients in Louisiana. She was accustomed[citation needed] to tailoring pieces that stood out by decorating the fabrics she used with such embellishments as embroidery, aplliques and smocking. Incorporating materials such as lace, beads and jeweled buttons, were just some of the ingredients that Deréon used to make her style unique, according to the House of Deréon website.
Deréon later married Lumas Beyincé of Abbéville, Louisiana, the son of Alexandre Beyincé and Marie Olivier. The couple relocated to Galveston, Texas where they raised their family (some of the Beyincé relatives still live in Galveston). Both Beyincé and her husband were of French-speaking Creole (or French Creole) descent; having African, French, Amerindian, Spanish and Indian ancestries[citation needed].
The Beyincé family was poor, yet upwardly mobile.[citation needed] The couple made many sacrifices to see that their children matriculated through private school and received a proper education. In an interview with Ebony magazine, Tina recalls that her mother made altar boy robes and other garments for the church so her children could attend Catholic schools.
Among the couple's children are daughter,Tina Knowles, and a son (name unknown; he is Angela Beyincé's father). Their grandchildren are Beyoncé Knowles and Solange Knowles, Angela Beyincé and great-grandson Daniel Juelz Smith Jr., Solange's son with Daniel Smith.
Trivia
In the extended version of Beyoncé's song "Get Me Bodied" from her album B'Day, a verse mentions House of Deréon: "Shake your derriere in them Deréons/Shake, shake your derriere in them House of Deréons"
Often in videos and at events, Beyoncé and Solange, as well as Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams from Destiny's Child have worn House of Deréon.
Beyoncé's first name is a tribute to the Beyincé family name [2]. The rare surname, Beyincé, is of French origin. The Beyincé family is still prominent in Iberia, Vermillion and Lafayette Parishes today.
House of Dereon has been heavily criticized for its unusually small variety of sizes and its seemingly similar patterns and designs to other labels.
References
- ^ [1]
- ^ BEYONCÉ'S NAME SPARKED FAMILY CONTROVERSY. Platinum-Celebs.com (February 18 2004). Retrieved on 2007-01-12.
External links
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