Julez Smith opens up about the life lessons he learned from none other than Tina Knowles, revealing how the legendary matriarch helped shape his character and career. In a heartfelt reflection, he credits her guidance for teaching him valuable lessons on what it truly means to “be a man.”

“That’s my twin! I grew up with my grandma. I’m a grandma baby,” Smith told Teen Vogue in a recent cover interview.

“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.”

The 20-year-old model went on to credit his famous family for him falling in love with fashion.

“My family has just been fly my whole life,” Smith explained in his interview. “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,” Smith said. “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.”

Tina Knowles, mother of Beyonce and Solange, without question, deserves the full credit for molding the style of not only her daughters, but for all of the members of Destiny’s Child. Known as a beauty and fashion industry icon, the 71-year-old was the first costume designer for the girls group at its inception. 

It is no wonder that this budding new face on the runway is making waves in the industry, becoming the latest superstar on the runway.

To read Smith’s interview in its entirety, click here.

Photo: Tina Knowles Instagram; Teen Vogue Instagram; Julez Smith Instagram