Lady Kinvara Balfour | |
---|---|
Born | 1975 (age 47–48) |
Nationality | British |
Education | BA in English, French & Film [1] |
Alma mater | |
Occupation(s) | Creative director, producer, writer, host, public speaker |
Spouse | Count Riccardo Lanza (m. 2009;div. 2011) |
Partner | Sudhin Shahani |
Children | 1 |
Parents | |
Relatives | Sir David Frost(uncle) Lady Marcia Fitzalan-Howard (aunt) |
Website | www |
Lady Kinvara Clare Rachel Balfour (born 1975) is an English creative director, producer, writer, and public speaker. She is the second daughter of Roderick Balfour, 5th Earl of Balfour, and Lady Tessa Fitzalan-Howard. Balfour is a niece of the Duke of Norfolk.
Balfour's father is the 5th Earl of Balfour (descended from Eustace Balfour, brother of the British cabinet minister Gerald Balfour, 2nd Earl of Balfour, and brother of the British Prime Minister Arthur Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour). Her mother, Tessa Balfour, Countess of Balfour, is the eldest daughter of the late 17th Duke of Norfolk, Myles Fitzalan-Howard, and his wife, the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk (formerly Anne Constable-Maxwell). The titles of Duke of Norfolk, Earl of Arundel and Earl Marshal of England are the oldest and premier British aristocratic title after the royal family. The Norfolks are direct descendants of King Edward I and they are also the leading Roman Catholic family in Britain. [2] [3] The family seat is Arundel Castle in West Sussex and Carlton Towers in Yorkshire.
Balfour is a niece of British broadcaster and TV presenter Sir David Frost and also a niece of television and stage actress Marsha Fitzalan.
Balfour attended Lady Eden's School in London, [4] followed by St. Mary's Convent School, Ascot, [5] followed by a degree in English, French and Film at Newcastle University. She completed her post-graduate education at Central School of Speech and Drama.
After drama school, Balfour has devoted herself in writing. Her first and best known play Dazed & Abused premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2004, where it was sold out during its three-week run. It later transferred to London and New York where Diane von Fürstenberg made her studio theatre available for the production. In 2008, Kinvara attended the Royal Court Theatre's Creative Writers Programme after which she conceived her second play, After Invisible. [6]
Balfour has also acted in the Oscar-nominated short film Cashback and the short film Away We Stay. In 2013, she performed in immersive theatre phenomenon You Me Bum Bum Train .
Balfour is an ambassador for London's Royal Court Theatre.
At 17, Balfour won the Lloyd's Fashion Challenge, a competition in fashion design, out of 30,000 entries nationwide, as judged by Vivienne Westwood. Balfour went on to assist Westwood in her design studio. Balfour then joined British couturier Tomasz Starzewski, whose clients included Diana, Princess of Wales and Sarah, Duchess of York. [7] She has also worked for Norman Hartnell, the British couture house which made both the wedding dress and coronation gowns for Queen Elizabeth II.
After university, Kinvara worked as fashion assistant at Conde Nast. Her appointment as Style Editor at the Saturday Telegraph Magazine followed.
In 2004, Balfour was appointed London Editor for US web phenomenon DailyCandy.com by owner, entrepreneur Robert Pittman. She launched the brand internationally to mass acclaim. In 2008, DailyCandy.com was acquired by US media giant Comcast for a reported $125million. [8] In 2012, Balfour launched a digital blog platform for Time Out under new ownership by Peter Dubens. In January 2014, Balfour became Founding Partner of new tech start-up StyleCard, [9] a fashion and lifestyle website 'which features cool, new things and provides exclusive offers on the best of those things'.
Balfour is an interpreter of global cultural trends with a focus on fashion and popular culture. She is often considered a "consultant of cool" and a key influencer for international companies and brands. [10] She speaks at events and conferences around the world for corporations including Jimmy Choo, Procter & Gamble, Richemont, Coutts, UBS and Canon.
As of February 2014, Balfour hosts Fashion in Conversation for Apple, [11] a series of interviews in the UK and US with influential names in the industry like Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, [12] blogger Scott Schuman aka The Sartorialist, fashion designers Zac Posen, Marchesa, Proenza Schouler, Mary Katrantzou, Anya Hindmarch, Manolo Blahnik, [13] "Queen of the Green Carpet" Livia Firth and Academy Award winning costume designer Sandy Powell among others. [14] On 7 April 2014, designer Tom Ford announced his marriage to Richard Buckley during a Fashion in Conversation interview with Balfour. [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] The series is available worldwide on iTunes. [20] [21]
In September 2014, Balfour acted as guest host for The AOL BUILD Speaker Series [22] in New York, interviewing fashion designer Zac Posen, [23] [24] Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne of Public School, [25] and Jens Grede, Co-Founder of Industrie Magazine, Saturday Group and FRAME Denim. [26]
Balfour has lectured at London's Victoria & Albert Museum. [27]
As of 2014, Balfour is working on a fashion-based documentary series about industry visionaries called Fashion Week for US and UK television. [28] [29] [30] [31]
Balfour was Executive Producer on McQueen (2018) - a documentary film about the late British designer Alexander McQueen - Directed by Ian Bonhôte and scripted by Peter Ettedgui. [32]
In 2009, Balfour married Italian Count Riccardo Lanza at Arundel Castle, West Sussex. They divorced in 2011. [29] Balfour and her partner, Surf Air chief executive Sudhin Shahani, have a son born in October 2018. [33] [34] [35]
Edmund Bernard FitzAlan-Howard, 1st Viscount FitzAlan of Derwent, known as The Honourable Edmund Fitzalan-Howard between 1855 and 1856, Lord Edmund Fitzalan-Howard between 1856 and 1876, and Lord Edmund Talbot between 1876 and 1921, was a British Conservative politician and the last Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He was the first Roman Catholic to be appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland since the 17th century, holding office when Ireland was partitioned into Southern Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, was an English nobleman and politician. He was a second cousin of Queen Elizabeth I and held many high offices during the earlier part of her reign.
Thomas Fitzalan, 5th Earl of Arundel, 10th Earl of SurreyKG was an English nobleman, one of the principals of the deposition of Richard II, and a major figure during the reign of Henry IV.
Edward William Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk,, styled Earl of Arundel between 1975 and 2002, is a British peer who holds the hereditary office of Earl Marshal and, as Duke of Norfolk, is the most senior peer in the peerage of England. He is also the titular head of the House of Howard.
Henry Granville Fitzalan-Howard, 14th Duke of Norfolk, was a British peer and politician. He was hereditary Earl Marshal and the last undisputed Chief Butler of England.
Major General Miles Francis Stapleton Fitzalan-Howard, 17th Duke of Norfolk, was a British Army general and peer. He was the eldest son of Bernard Fitzalan-Howard, 3rd Baron Howard of Glossop, and his wife Mona Stapleton, 11th Baroness Beaumont. In 1975, he inherited the Dukedom of Norfolk from his second cousin once removed, making him the premier duke in the Peerage of England.
Bernard Marmaduke Fitzalan-Howard, 16th Duke of Norfolk, styled Earl of Arundel and Surrey until 1917, was a British peer and politician. He was the eldest surviving son of Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk, who died when Bernard was only nine years old. His mother was Gwendoline Herries, 12th Lady Herries of Terregles, and he inherited her peerage when she died in 1945.
Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk,, styled Lord Maltravers until 1856 and Earl of Arundel and Surrey between 1856 and 1860, was a British Unionist politician and philanthropist. He served as Postmaster General between 1895 and 1900, but is best remembered for his philanthropic work, which concentrated on Roman Catholic causes and the city of Sheffield.
Henry Charles Howard, 13th Duke of Norfolk,, styled Earl of Surrey between 1815 and 1842, was a British Whig politician and peer.
Lavinia Mary Fitzalan-Howard, Duchess of Norfolk was a British noblewoman.
Lady Marcia Mary Josephine Fitzalan-Howard, known as Marsha Fitzalan, is an English actress.
Georgina Susan Fitzalan-Howard, Duchess of Norfolk, is the ex-wife of Edward William Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk.
Edward George Fitzalan-Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Glossop PC, styled Lord Edward Howard between 1842 and 1869, was a British Liberal politician. He served as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household under Lord John Russell from 1846 to 1852.
Joan de Beauchamp, Baroness Bergavenny was an English noblewoman, and the wife of William de Beauchamp, 1st Baron Bergavenny of the Welsh Marches.
The Fitzalan Chapel is the chancel of the church of St Nicholas in the western grounds of Arundel Castle, in West Sussex, England.
Mary Katrantzou is a Greek fashion designer who lives and works in London.
Anne Elizabeth Cowdrey, 14th Lady Herries of Terregles, Baroness Cowdrey of Tonbridge was a British racehorse trainer and peeress.
Roderick Arthur Francis Balfour, 5th Earl of Balfour, is a British peer and businessman.
Tessa Mary Isabel Balfour, Countess of Balfour, is a British aristocrat.
Lady Flora Paulyna Hetty Barbara Abney-Hastings was a British noblewoman. She was the daughter of Charles Abney-Hastings, 1st Baron Donington, and Edith Rawdon-Hastings, 10th Countess of Loudoun. Lady Flora married Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk on 18 March 1878, and they had one child, Philip Joseph Mary Fitzalan-Howard, Earl of Surrey, Earl of Arundel.