Career
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.[35]
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.[6] 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.[5] The salon went on to become one of the most famous hair businesses in Houston.[36] 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.[36][37] She also styled the girls' hair, and they practiced their routines at her shop.[38][39][40]
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.[41][42] In 2004, Knowles launched the clothing line House of Deréon alongside Beyoncé, naming it after her mother Agnes Deréon.[31] On November 22, 2010, Knowles appeared with Beyoncé on The View to promote her clothing line called "Miss Tina by Tina Knowles".[43] In 2010, she expanded the line to Walmart after it was previously being sold on the Home Shopping Network.[31] 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."[31]
In 2013, Knowles appeared in Beyoncé's Life Is But a Dream, and was credited as director of wardrobe.[44][45] 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.[46][47][48] 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.[49] 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."[50]
On May 23, 2021, Knowles presented rapper Trae tha Truth with the Change Maker Award and introduced Padma Lakshmi at the Billboard Music Awards.[54] On June 16, 2021, Knowles appeared in Facebook's Lift Black Voices Hub, in which she revealed what Juneteenth means to her family.[55] In August 2021, it was announced that Knowles would be producing an upcoming program for Discovery, Inc. and the Oprah Winfrey Network, which aims to show the difficulties Black men face today, while highlighting and celebrating the triumphs and successes of everyday living.[56] The docuseries titled Profiled: The Black Man aired in early 2022.[57]
In December 2021, Knowles announced her show "Talks with Mama Tina" would begin airing on Facebook and include interviews with celebrities, such as Ciara and Zendaya.[58] The first episode premiered on December 22, with Beyoncé and her children performing the show's theme song.[59] The song was nominated for Outstanding Original Song at the 49th Daytime Emmy Awards.[60]
In April 2022, Knowles made her acting debut on The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.[61] That same month, she had a role in the Lifetime thriller movie Wrath: A Seven Deadly Sins Story, starring Michelle Williams, Antonio Cupo and Romeo Miller.[62]
In February 2024, Knowles began serving as the vice chairperson of Cécred, an American hair care brand, founded by Beyoncé.[63]
In October 2024, Knowles announced her memoir, Matriarch, which was published in April 2025.[64] It was chosen by Oprah Winfrey as the April 2025 selection for Oprah's Book Club 2.0.[65]
In early 2026, her namesake Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo gumbo booth was briefly closed by local health inspectors after a customer reported a complaint.[66][67][68][69]
