The Knowles-Carter family seems to be growing in influence. Apart from Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Solange Knowles and mom Tina Knowles, the offspring are stepping into their own.
While on the one hand we have 13-year-old Blue Ivy, charting her path as a recording artist and dancer, we now have Solange's son Daniel Smith Jr., aka Julez Smith, a professional model on the rise.
The 20-year-old made his catwalk debut exactly one year ago at the Luar RTW Fall 2024 show as part of New York Ready to Wear Fashion Week, and has since gone on to walk runways in Paris and attend the Met Gala.
Julez sat down with Teen Vogue to discuss his life in the spotlight as a member of one of the most prolific musical families, his rise in the fashion world, and growing up in New Orleans.
The interview touched upon his close bond with the entirety of his family, highlighting his role as the oldest among his cousins, which includes Blue and seven-year-old twins Rumi and Sir.
"It's been protector mode since everybody was born," he remarked on his role to them. "Just trying to be a positive role model as they get older. I think that's been my main goal."
© Getty ImagesHe expressed his pride in not only their accomplishments, but their recognition of his worth now as a model. "And it's cool, they know their cousin is a model now, so it's like, all right, that might rub off on one of the kids…"
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"I'm really close to my family, so being the oldest is like, I got to set the tone, set the standard for them, make sure I'm in the same direction that I would want them to go."
© NFLWhen asked if any of his cousins recognized that he was famous, he recalled a sweet interaction with none other than Rumi, who has become a star in her own right thanks to her more frequent public appearances and her featured turn on her mom's Grammy-winning album Cowboy Carter.
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He remembered: "My baby cousin Rumi, I seen her not too long ago, before I went to Paris actually, and I was packing my bag and she was like, 'Where are you going?' I was like, 'I'm going to Paris.' She was like, 'Oh, you're going to work.'"
© Getty Images"And that was my first time where any of my cousins or siblings was like, 'Okay, yeah, he got a job now. My cousin's going to work.' They’re asking me questions like, 'You drive now?' And I'm like, 'Yeah, I'm 20 now. I ain't the same 15-year-old when you were born, you feel me.'"
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Julez gushed: "But that type of stuff warms my heart, just knowing that my younger folks in my family look up to me and I'm a role model to them."
© Getty ImagesHe identified that he wanted his legacy to be in fashion, outside of the name his family had afforded him. "I think I'm taking the crown of the flyest in my fam. That's what I'm trying to go towards. But shoot, just making a name for myself in fashion has been a goal of mine… Carving out a name for myself in anything I do, being great at it."
