Valerie Kent – The Youngest Philanthropist in Monaco

Seven-year-old Valerie Kent is Monaco’s youngest fashion entrepreneur,  who introduced her ‘Posh by Valerie’ collection supporting a Kenyan orphanage.

Under the guidance of her parents, Geoffrey and Otavia Kent, the seven-year-old Valarie Kent created a fashion business to support her philanthropic goals. It is a particular journey for a young person to create a positive impact for children in need.

What inspired you to pursue a “career” in fashion?

“Since I was small, I used to dress my Barbie cute and pretty. My mom also always dressed me up cute and elegant,” – starts Valerie. – “My grandmother gave me a shoe with tiny heels, and I could never leave the house without them. I love them so much.”

Valerie has a firm philosophy on the ideal outfit. As she describes, a dress has to meet four basic criteria. It has to be comfortable, cute, elegant, and affordable. Four goals that reflect on her ‘Posh by Valerie’ collection.

How do you select the dresses for your collection?

“I like to try everything, dress up, and see the look. For me, this is important because if I like it, then I am more confident to suggest the look to other children and their parents.”

In your view, who has better taste, your mum or your dad?

“Definitely my mom because sometimes she dresses my dad too,” – giggles Valerie.

Who are some of your biggest influences in the fashion industry?

“My friend Adéle because she is always dressed up elegantly and cutely. However, my biggest star is my mom.”

What was the best advice you received when you started this brand?

“Not to be spoilt, and not to think that I’m better than anybody.”

To remain humble is a great lesson that comes from the family roots of Valerie. Her father, Geoffrey Kent was born in Kenya, a country and culture in East Africa that have deeply inspired Valerie.

Kenya has significant gender inequalities, and Kenyan women continue to advocate for their equal rights to property, security, financial services, healthcare, and education.

Women also lack a basic education in Kenya, and very few go on to higher education. Nearly 60% of young women do not attend secondary school either because there is no school close by or because the school, has little in the way of educational resources. Even in schools, teachers put more value on teaching boys, while girls are left behind.

Financial services and property rights are also still limited, as women have very little access to the basic needs and legal rights to start a business or live self-sufficiently. To put this in perspective, only 1% of Kenyan women own property.

Over 19 million Kenyans are still drinking unimproved water, such as unsafe water from rivers. In some regions, such as in Mombasa, the poverty level reaches 44% of the population.

“I saw the differences between the children of Monaco and Kenya, and I wanted to help them buy food and toys,”- says Valerie.

The fashion brand ‘Posh by Valerie’ targets children from the age of 2 to 12 years old. More importantly, it motivates and educates children about the importance of social responsibility and the care for those who are in need.

Valerie and her twin brother Geoffrey Jr. are also committed to an amazing philanthropic goal, supporting an orphanage in Malindi, Kenya.

“I help those children in Kenya by buying food and sending toys for them. My brother and I have our birthdays on the 16th of December. 

We don’t accept gifts on our birthdays. We always ask our friends and family to send us 10 or 20 euros, because with this money I can buy some things for the orphanage, such as school supplies and food. 

I hope the other kids will do the same in Monaco.”

The fashion brand has been a transformational journey for Valerie, and seeing the help and impact she can provide through it to children in Kenya ‘Posh by Valerie’ is a supporting tool in all this, as 10% of all the sales are directly allocated for her philanthropic goal.

The first pop-up launch of ‘Posh by Valerie’ was in December 2023, hosted at the Fairmont Monte-Carlo. This included a vibrant fashion show featuring Valerie’s designs with her local school friends as models.

The collection is inspired by school themes, crafted to appeal to a younger demographic, and  supervised by Valerie’s mother, Otavia.

Can you tell us about your favourite piece or collection that you’ve been especially proud of?

“Of course, that’s easy. It is the Nancy dress because it is light and beautiful, elegant, and at the same time a very nice dress.”

We applaud young Valerie’s deep-rooted commitment to social responsibility. Her parents, Otavia and Geoffrey Kent, have a strong ambition for global change and are supporting their children to follow them in a meaningful way.

As Geoffrey Kent wisely said, “it is an eye-opening experience for the kids, helping them see and understand the world beyond our own”.