Tina Knowles

Celestine Ann "Tina" Beyoncé Knowles (née Beyoncé, born January 4, 1954) is an American businesswoman, fashion designer, author, and philanthropist known for establishing the brands House of Deréon and Miss Tina by Tina Knowles. She is the mother of singers Beyoncé and Solange Knowles and was married until 2011 to their father Mathew Knowles, the manager of Destiny's Child. For her contribution to the fashion business, Knowles was honored at the Accessories Council Excellence Awards in 2001.

Celestine Ann Beyoncé was born in Galveston, Texas, the youngest of seven siblings. Her mother, Agnéz Beyincé (née Deréon) (1909–1980), was a seamstress. Her father, Lumis Albert Beyincé (1910–1982), was a longshoreman. Due to a clerical error on her birth certificate, her surname (Beyoncé) is spelled "one letter different" from that of other members of her family. She is of Louisiana Creole heritage. Knowles was raised Catholic and attended Catholic school. Her family's roots are from New Iberia, Louisiana. She is a descendant of Acadian leader Joseph Broussard and French military officer Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin. While in high school, Knowles was a part of a singing group called the Veltones, inspired by the Supremes.

On January 5, 1980, she married Mathew Knowles, a Xerox salesman who would later quit his job to manage Destiny's Child. The pair divorced in November 2011, and share two children: Beyoncé (born 1981) and Solange (born 1986).

As a fashion designer, Knowles has been featured in publications such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, L'Officiel, InStyle, and Sports Illustrated. She has also designed costumes for a number of films including Dreamgirls, Pink Panther, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Obsessed, and Cadillac Records.

She began her career at the age of 19 when she moved to California to work as a makeup artist for Shiseido Cosmetics. However, she returned home when her parents fell ill. Knowles then worked as a dance choreographer for University of Alabama at Birmingham and later a beautician in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1990, she opened Headliners, a 12-seat hair salon located in Houston, Texas. The salon went on to become one of the most famous hair businesses in Houston. Knowles's rise to prominence came as costume designer for Destiny's Child. In the early days of the group's career, she created outfits that the members wore on-stage and to events "out of necessity" because money was limited. She also styled the girls' hair, and they practiced their routines at her shop.

In 2002, she published a book titled Destiny's Style: Bootylicious Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle Secrets From Destiny's Child in which she discussed how fashion affected Destiny's Child's success. The book was published by HarperCollins. In 2004, Knowles launched the clothing line House of Deréon alongside Beyoncé, naming it after her mother Agnes Deréon. On November 22, 2010, Knowles appeared with Beyoncé on The View to promote her clothing line called "Miss Tina by Tina Knowles". In 2010, she expanded the line to Walmart after it was previously being sold on the Home Shopping Network. Discussing her style of designing for the line, Knowles revealed she aimed to "hide flaws and create a slimming silhouette", adding, "Everything is created like a foundation garment, even the dresses. The pieces are designed to make the woman look leaner and taller."

In 2013, Knowles appeared in Beyoncé's Life Is But a Dream, and was credited as director of wardrobe. In 2016, she made a cameo in Beyoncé: Lemonade, appearing in the visual for the song "All Night", which includes shots of her with then-husband Richard Lawson on their wedding day. In 2019, she appeared briefly in the background of a few shots in Beyoncé's Homecoming, a concert film about the singer's 2018 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival performances.

In July 2020, Knowles made a cameo in Beyoncé's Disney+ film Black Is King, which incorporates music from soundtrack album The Lion King: The Gift. Knowles makes appearances in the visuals for the songs "Mood 4 Eva" and "Brown Skin Girl." Before the film's release, she revealed she had let her daughter borrow art pieces for the project. Thus, she is credited as an art curator on the film. That same month, Knowles appeared on The Today Show to promote her Instagram show "Talks with Mama Tina", which addresses voter suppression, race relations and other social issues.

In 2002, Tina Knowles, Beyoncé, and Kelly Rowland opened the Knowles-Rowland Center for Youth, a community center in Downtown Houston.

After witnessing the effects of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Knowles co-founded the Survivor Foundation along with Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé, Solange, and Rowland, in order to provide transitional housing for hurricane victims and storm evacuees.

In 2010, Knowles and Beyoncé established the Beyoncé Cosmetology Center, which offers a seven-month cosmetology training course at the Phoenix House, a non-profit drug and alcohol rehabilitation organization in Brooklyn.

In 2020, following the COVID-19 pandemic, Knowles took action with Beyoncé's charity foundation BeyGood through the #IDidMyPart campaign. Knowles proposed the initiative, following the high number of deaths as a result of contracting the virus in the African-American community in Houston. Knowles has spoken to raise COVID-19 awareness on US television and news programs, including CBS News and ABC News.

Throughout the years, Knowles has supported movements promoting civil rights and opposing gender inequality in the United States, especially with regard to African Americans and the LGBT community. Knowles is a philanthropic supporter

In 2001, Knowles was a recipient at the ACE Awards, which honors individuals who "help raise awareness of the accessories industry with a positive impact".

In 2020, she was honored with the Inspiring Leadership Award at Essence Festival's Empowerment Experience.