Beyonces House Of Dereon Clothing Brand To Expand Production

Article written by: Rodrick Rainey
Posted on: May 24, 2006

Beyonce and Tina Knowles today announce that Beyond Productions LLC, parent company to their House of Dereon contemporary women’s collection, has signed a licensing agreement with Check Group LLC to handle the manufacturing and distribution of their new junior collection, to be simply called Dereon. The collection, which will initially consist of denim, knits and fur jackets and vests, will launch for holiday 2006 in select specialty stores nationwide. Targeting fashion conscious young women in their teens and early twenties, the Dereon advertising campaign will feature Beyonce’s sister and Tina’s daughter Solange Knowles Smith. In addition to Dereon, Check Group LLC and its wholly-owned subsidiary B. Fly LLC will also exclusively handle the manufacturing and distribution of the Knowles’ House of Dereon contemporary collection.

“We’re playing off the success of House of Dereon, which has quickly established itself to be a force in the fashion world,” said Victor Azrak, owner of Check Group. “This girl loves the look of Beyonce and we are both honored and thrilled to add the label to our expanding family of brands, which includes Apple Bottoms jeans. We are confident that our strength in brand marketing along with the Knowles’ creative ability and international popularity will propel House of Dereon and now Dereon into the ranks of the most sought-after brands for young contemporary women.”

According to Tina Knowles, “I am often approached by Beyonce’s young fans asking when a junior line would be launched, so I felt now was the time for Dereon, which has always been included in our business plan. Chip Rosen, president and GM of House of Dereon, and I worked very closely to find the company that would not only represent our professional interests but was well respected in the industry as well. We wanted a company that would share our vision of the House of Dereon brands and help us continue the momentum we’ve generated so far. Check Group demonstrated that not only do they understand our creative vision, they have the track record to coordinate the production and distribution of the line very efficiently.”

Beyond Productions LLC was founded in May 2004 by Tina and Beyonce Knowles, and Jason and Arthur Rabin of Wear Me Apparel / Kids Headquarters. This partnership provides the infrastructure for licensing and brand management for House of Dereon, a contemporary women’s line that debuted at retail for the Holiday 2005 season. Inspired by three generations of women united in a labor of love, House of Dereon is named after Tina Knowles’ mother and Beyonce’s grandmother, Agnez Dereon, who was a seamstress and influenced Tina’s love of fashion. The House of Dereon line, which is available at better retail and specialty stores worldwide, features ready-to-wear, casual sportswear, and denim offerings along with furs, outerwear and accessories such as handbags and footwear.

Check Group LLC was established by Lawrence Jemal and Ruby Azrak in 1999. Prior to founding Check Group, Mr. Azrak was the president of Phat Fashions and Mr. Jemal was the CEO of the electronics chain Nobody Beats the Wiz. Aside from Apple Bottoms, the company works with A.B.S Jeans and Live Mechanics and holds the underwear and loungewear licenses for Phat farm and Akademiks. Check Group LLC also holds the sportswear license for Unk, a joint venture with NBA star Allan Houston.