Matriarch: A Memoir

Tina Knowles is an entrepreneur, stylist, fashion designer, actress, and author. She is the mother of music icons Beyoncé and Solange Knowles. She is also well-known for her hair salon in Houston, Texas, called Headliners, her styling work for the 1990s girl group Destiny’s Child, her clothing line House of Deréon, and her mentorship program, Tina’s Angels. Knowles also has a rich philanthropic portfolio, which, along with Tina’s Angels, “includes the non-profit performing arts organization WACO Theater, The Knowles-Rowland Center for Youth in Houston [and] BeyGOOD, a nonprofit dedicated to establishing economic equity through a wide array of initiatives” (“About Ms. Tina.” Tina Knowles Book).

In Matriarch, Knowles tells her own story in her own words for the first time. The title traces Knowles’s childhood in Galveston, Texas with her parents, siblings, nephews, nieces, and cousins, through her familial and vocational life over the years following. In the text, Knowles identifies many of her childhood experiences as the inspiration for her caretaking, artistic, and philanthropic efforts over the years following.

Knowles’s fashion design endeavors have also been featured in a range of publications. Her work has appeared in Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, L’Officiel, InStyle, and Sports Illustrated. While she has played a significant role in Beyoncé’s styling throughout her career, she has also done costume design for numerous feature films including Dreamgirls, Pink Panther, Obsessed, Cadillac Records, and Austin Powers in Goldmember.

Prior to Matriarch, Knowles published the 2002 title Destiny’s Style: Bootylicious Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle Secrets from Destiny’s Child. This text examined the role that fashion played in the success of Destiny’s Child. Knowles has also been the recipient of several honors, including a 2001 ACE Award and a 2020 Inspiring Leadership Award from Essence Festival’s Empowerment Experience.