Toting the tagline “Couture. Kick. Soul.” the singer launches new clothing line “House of Dereon.”

When Lisa Dotson, a Howard University marketing major interned at Def Jam this summer, she never thought she would get an opportunity to go to a private event for Beyonce ‘s new clothing line-House of  Dereon. This event, held at New York’s Museum of Television and Radio, didn’t showcase any of the clothes that would be in the line, instead Beyonce and her mother Tina Knowles went into detail about what the clothes would be like, building a great amount of anticipation.

“It’s Beyonce, so lots of people were curious to see what she had in store,” said Dotson.  Now, that curiosity will be quenched as the clothing line “House of Dereon ” was officially launched on Tuesday, Nov. 15. 

The line was named after Beyonce’s grandmother, Anges Dereon, a seamstress who designed and created clothing for private clients.  "The whole theme is taking nothing and turning it into something because that’s what my grandmother did with all kinds of fabrics," the singer told reporters.

Tina Knowles, who has designed clothes for Beyonce and the group “Destiny’s Child”, created the line with Beyonce as the muse.

“After hearing the description of the clothes this summer, I was expecting them to look tacky, said Dotson. “But after seeing a preview of the actual line on Oprah, I was surprised. They actually look good.”

House of Dereon features casual sportswear, denim, handbags, and shoes.  The clothes are moderately priced (jeans in the collection range from $98-118; detailed blouses will cost $100-$150) and will be sold in stores such as Macy’s, Marshall Fields and Dillard’s.  Currently, denim can be purchased at houseofdereon .com; the website will offer more clothes for online purchases in months to come. The clothes will go up to a size 12 or 14.

These days many artists are anxious to add a clothing line to their resume. Singers Jennifer Lopez and Gwen Stefani respectively have SweetFace and LAMB and rappers Diddy and Jay-Z each have Sean John and Roc-A-Wear. However, it remains to be seen how Beyonce ‘s line will do, but some students are turned off by the thought of a celebrity.  “

When I think of celebrity lines I think of clothes that try too hard to be trendy,” said Camielle Wilks, a fashion design major at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, “if  I’m going to spend my money on clothes, I’d much rather go to the brands that are already there, not to the singer who’s just trying to make more money.”

Still others are optimistic about The House of Dereon. “I think her line will be successful because it’s not under her name like J-Lo,” said Adia Goss, biology major at Columbia University. ”The [House of Dereon] jeans will probably be popular because Beyonce has said that they are made for women curves. I’d definitely buy them.”