Beyonce Knowles, member of R&B group, Destiny’s Child, has rocked award shows, made bootylicious a household name, and is now hitting the runway with her new clothing line, House of Dereon.The Houston native’s debut line will include clothing that can be worn on and off the runway. "It’ll be a mix of vintage things and contemporary things…fur with denim, classic with street," Beyonce told the Associated Press in a recent interview.The young women’s apparel, produced by Tarrant Apparel Group, is supposed to drop this fall. Beyonce named the line for her grandmother Agnes Dereon, who worked as a seamstress. "I think my mother and I both have a good idea of what people who are fashionable like," said Beyonce, who plans to collaborate with her mother and Destiny Child’s stylist, Tina Knowles.Although Beyonce has been known to strut down the red carpet in Versace and other expensive designers, she vows to keep her own line affordable. According to the New York Post, the fashion line will target women aged 18 to 28 and will be priced slightly below brands like BCBGMaxAzaria, Elie Tahari and Theory. "People my age love fashion and want to dress in designer clothes, but can’t afford it. I want to do something that is affordable, but sophisticated and sexy and feminine…something I would wear," Beyonce told the Associated Press.Many students said the affordability of Beyonce’s clothes will determine whether or not they will purchase them. "She has a lot of influence," said Lawrence Mullen Jr., a freshman biology major from Mobile, Ala. "People will buy her clothes just because it’s Beyonce." Delphanie Hutchins, a sophomore theater major from Lithonia, Ga. said, "I think her clothing line will do really well, but I hope it won’t be as skimpy as the clothes she wears in her videos and concerts."As in entertainment, Beyonce plans to take her new line to great heights. Beyonce, who has already made history by becoming the first African American woman signed on to a perfume line when she lent her face and voice to Tommy Hilfiger’s True Star fragrance, later plans to add shoes, accessories, jewelry, and fragrances to the House of Dereon collection. Beyonce is not the only entertainer to cross over to fashion from music. Sean "P.Diddy" Combs has earned several nominations from the Council of Fashion Designers of America for his Sean John label. Jennifer Lopez’s J.Lo line, Jay Z’s Roc-A-Wear, Nelly’s male and female lines and Eve’s Fetish have also been successful. Some argue that musicians make successful fashion designers and marketers because of their impact through the media. "I think since musicians are always on TV and in the media’s eye, their clothing and styles largely influence what the public chooses to wear. I don’t blame them for venturing off into fashion," Hutchins said.On the other hand, not all celebrities have an eye for fashion, according to some students, which can prove just the opposite. "Outkast has a clothing line that is not doing so well because their style is a little too different, Mullen said. " Everyone can’t identify. In short, they should not make clothes. Sometimes celebrities try to put their hands into too many pots, and eventually they get burned."
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Beyonce Knowles: A triple threat
April 1, 2005
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