A familiar family member has entered the model industry at a young age.
Julez Smith, the son of Solange Knowles and nephew of Beyoncé Knowles, got into fashion because his grandmother, Tina Knowles, used to make costumes for his mom and aunt.
“It came pretty naturally,” he tells Vogue of his industry aspirations. “Growing up, my grandma was doing costumes for my auntie and my mom, and I think my mom is one of the best-dressed people in the world. I just wanted to be fly and keep up with them—but I wanted to be on the modeling side.”
Smith, of course, grew up on the grandiose fashion of his family. He walks around with a Bottega Veneta shirt. He loves fashion.
And that’s the central reason why he is signed to modeling company Next Management, today.
The Houston native caught up with Vogue about why he entered the fashion industry.
“I’ve been wanting to model for a couple of years, it just never really worked out,” he said. “Luar was really my breakthrough. I was actually interning with them for a couple of months, and maybe like a week before the show they were just like, ‘Come to the casting. So I went to the casting and I got it.’”
What also helped his modeling career was the constant coaching from his mom and grandma, as they preached to him that practice makes perfect. He also watched YouTube videos of folks walking on the runway.
And to this day, he recognizes that having family in the industry is a benefit.
“Growing up, my mom and aunt were doing photo shoots every other week, and I saw how jam-packed and busy it was,” he said to Vogue. “It’s good to already understand, Okay, you’re going to have to get up early, be on time, and work long hours. And everything moves really fast. It’s work, but I like it.”
Thanks to these benefits, his day comprises implementing more working out into his routine, including getting up and playing basketball for a few hours. Later he hangs out with his friends, trying to eat good food.
“It’s a bad habit, but I eat a lot of fried seafood: catfish, shrimp, hush puppies…, he said.”
We look forward to following him and his career!
