Beyoncé may officially be the best aunt out there. After announcing a new country album and dropping two singles while in Las Vegas on Sunday, the singer made a surprise appearance in Brooklyn on Tuesday night, where she watched her nephew walk in the Luar show.
Just after 9:40 p.m., as the Luar show was about to start in a cavernous warehouse, someone yelled, “She’s here!” People rushed to the front row to see something amazing: Beyoncé, in Bushwick. Her mom, Tina Knowles, was by her side and her bodyguard, Julius de Boer, was standing above her (shining his flashlight at anyone who got too close). Beyoncé was smiling and wearing a head-to-toe sparkling silver Gaurav Gupta look — topped off with a cowboy hat, of course. Though Beyoncé is a frequent guest at Paris Fashion Week, she hasn’t been spotted at a New York Fashion Week show since 2015.
A few minutes later, the show began and the clothes came out: exaggerated shoulders, leather skirts, and the designer’s hero product, the Ana bag, on full display. Beyoncé’s nephew, Daniel “Julez” Smith Jr. — whose mother, Solange Knowles, was sitting a few seats away — confidently strode down the runway in an all-leather ensemble with faux-fur sleeves and the Ana bag as a backpack. The show marked the 19-year-old’s runway debut.
Last year, asked by a follower on TikTok if he texts his aunt, Smith joked, “Do you text your aunt? I feel like everyone texts their aunt.” He added that even though she’s a superstar, to him she’s “just my auntie. Just like how your auntie is your auntie.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Raul Lopez, the founder of Luar and 2022 winner of the CFDA Accessories Designer of the Year award, announced that he is debuting a basics line of tees, hoodies, and sweats all under $500. Luar Basics will be available online later this year.