Kinvara Balfour

As one of the world’s leading style and retail experts, Kinvara Balfour advises today’s culture-conscious brands on what is happening in the world of fashion, beauty and style, both physically, on the catwalk and most famously, on the web.

Kinvara has worked in almost every area of the fashion industry. Having won the Lloyd’s Bank Fashion Challenge out of 29,000 entries – at the age of 16 – she began her career assisting the competition’s judge, Vivienne Westwood, in her design studio. Several years at Tomasz Starzewski followed, alongside a spell as a fashion model.

After university, Kinvara worked as Fashion Assistant and then Features Writer at Tatler. Her appointment as Style Editor at the Saturday Telegraph Magazine followed, where Kinvara gained a reputation as one of London’s most instinctive style writers.

Three years later Kinvara was awarded the role of London Editor for daily email phenomenon DailyCandy.com. A cult hit in USA, this was to be DailyCandy’s first international edition, and Kinvara launched it to mass acclaim. In this role she has become a leading web expert and an authority on everything from fashion and beauty to food and retail culture.

As a result she has contributed to The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, Vogue, Sunday Times Style, The Observer, ES and Quintessentially magazines. She has sat on the British Fashion Council’s prestigious London Fashion Week selection committee and, for several seasons, compiled much of their official literature.

Today she hosts trend presentations and consultations around the world. Clients include Pantene, Gillette, Coutts, UBS, Citigroup and Canon; she has spoken to audiences in countries as diverse as Romania, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Israel and Russia. Her groundbreaking seasonal ‘Catwalk Trend Report’ is a favourite with corporations who need to know what’s emerging on the runway. Kinvara’s topics extend well beyond the field of fashion, she speaks on subjects ranging from youth markets to recognising trend changes and leading brand strengths.

In addition, Kinvara trained as an actress at Central and has written two plays. Her first, ‘Dazed & Abused’ was staged in Edinburgh, London and New York. Her second, ‘After Invisible’ premiered in London in 2010.

KINVARA BALFOUR CONSULTING

“Kinvara offers an edge as sharp as any Samurai sword, her insights translate into profits for my clients- its that simple”

Jonathan Gabay, Founder, Director Brand Forensics

“Kinvara interprets trends with clarity and insight; she is an articulate and informative speaker with an impressive knowledge of what is happening in the world of style, fashion and beauty. Her sense of humour and charming character serve her well.” Andrea Witty, Communications Manager, Procter & Gamble Beauty and Prestige Beauty

“The moment I met Kinvara I knew she was going to become indispensable to us – she is an articulate, intelligent and very likeable individual. Her knowledge of the world of fashion and beauty is impressive.” Jane Boardman, Director, Talk PR

“Kinvara’s insights are invaluable and her enthusiasm, infectious. Any fashion, trend or beauty-related company will undoubtedly benefit from what she has to say.” Brent Hoberman, Co-founder www.lastminute.com, Founder www.mydeco.com and www.profounderscapital.com.