Agnéz Deréon
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Agnéz Deréon, later Agnéz Beyincé (1924 – 1984) was a Louisiana native whose surname and passion for creating beauty from the mundane is the inspiration for the clothing line House of Deréon, a fashion line founded by her daughter Tina Knowles, and granddaughter Beyoncé Knowles.
[edit] Biography
Agnéz Deréon (pronounced dare-RE-ahn) was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Self-taught, she became a well known professional seamstress catering to private clients in Louisiana. She was accustomed to tailoring pieces that stood out by decorating the fabrics she used with such embellishments as embroidery. Incorporating materials such as lace, beads and jeweled buttons, were just some of the ingredients that Deréon used to make her style unique and her own.
Deréon later married Lumis Beyincé, taking her husband's surname to become Agnéz Beyincé. 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 Louisiana Creole (or French Creole) descent, having French, Amerindian, Spanish and African ancestries[citation needed]. The Beyincés were a poor, yet upwardly mobile family. The couple made many sacrifices to see that their children matriculated through private school and received a proper education. The Beyincés were very devoted to their children and encouraged their involvement in the arts.
Among the couple's posterity is Tina Knowles and a son ( Angela Beyince's father). Grandchildren are Beyoncé Knowles and Solange Knowles, Angela Beyince and great-grandson Daniel Juelz Smith Jr.
Beyoncé's first name is a tribute to the Beyincé name[1]. The rare surname, Beyincé, is of French origin and faces extinction since there are no male descendants in the family with the Beyincé surname who will pass it on.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ BEYONCÉ'S NAME SPARKED FAMILY CONTROVERSY. Platinum-Celebs.com (February 18, 2004). Retrieved on 2007-01-12.
