.jpg)
It takes a village, and if there's one family that lives that adage, it's the Knowles crew. Model Julez Smith, the 20-year-old rising model and son of multi-hyphenate Solange, is opening up about the importance of family and the special relationship he holds with his grandmother, Ms. Tina Knowles.
Smith is our latest MOMENT by Teen Vogue cover star, and revealed in the interview that he considers his grandma — who is affectionately referred to as Ms. Tina by the BeyHive — his “best friend.” The grandmother and grandson duo are often compared, with fans pointing out Smith's strong resemblance to the matriarch.
“That’s my twin! I grew up with my grandma. I’m a grandma baby," Julez Smith told us. "I grew up of course with my mom and my pops and everybody, but my best friend I would say [is] probably my grandma. She taught me how to be a young man. She taught me the rules of the house. She taught me how to be a man of the house. She taught me how to respect others and everything, and she keeps me up on my fly, too.”
Ms. Tina being the one to keep her grandchildren “up on their fly” honestly tracks — the style and beauty icon has had a long and storied career as a designer, and notably crafted the costumes for Destiny's Child in the girl group's early days. It's this kind of sartorial influence that Smith says naturally encouraged his foray into the fashion industry as a model.
“My family has just been fly my whole life," Smith explained to us. "Since I was a baby, I just remember my mom stepping out in clothes I ain't never seen and seeing my auntie dressing her tour costumes, and my grandma is really the pivotal point of our family when it comes to fashion. She started it off. So hearing the stories from my family about my grandma sewing stuff and just putting it all together, I would say it's been like a 16- to 17-year journey of me falling in love with fashion.”
Knowles is extremely supportive of her grandchildren and is vocal about their talents. Smith's grandma has publicly supported his modeling endeavors since his Luar runway debut in 2024; his grandmother sat front row at that show with her two daughters, a proud mom-grandma-auntie trifecta. Last month, Ms. Tina reposted Teen Vogue's Paris Fashion Week interview with Julez Smith onto her own personal Instagram account, writing: “My Handsome model Grandson @iamjulezjsmith in Paris Walking the runway at The Blue Marble fashion show at Fashion Week in Paris last week. Teen Vogue @teenvogue followed him around for a day.”
Instagram content
Not only is Ms. Tina the reason most of her family tree is interested in fashion, she was also one of the driving forces behind the launch of Cécred, Beyoncé's hair care line that launched in 2024. Smith's grandma was formerly a hairstylist and salon owner in his mom's hometown of Houston, Texas. Smith says his beauty and grooming routines are very simple (arguably, almost too simple), but he always relies on his aunt's products for everyday use and his grandma's special touch on wash day.
“My grandma, she deep-washed my hair when it's about that time,” said Smith, adding that his grandma shows care for him in multiple different ways. Supporting his dreams? Check. Character development? Check. Personal hygiene and grooming? Check. Spiritual strength? Check.
“Every day my grandma sends me a prayer,” Smith divulged, showing us a lengthy example of a prayer written by Ms. Tina on his iPhone with a smile. “Oh yeah, it's a real prayer. My grandma got everybody in the pen!”
