Naomi Campbell is stepping up to take responsibility for her position as a trustee of the Fashion for Relief charity, following a critical report from a regulatory body. While she admits to some shortcomings in her oversight of the charity, she strongly denies any involvement in financial misconduct or using the charity for personal gain during its troubled nine-year history.
Last week, Campbell faced a five-year ban from operating a charity after the report detailed serious mismanagement and violations of conduct involving her and two other trustees. Even after raising nearly £4.8 million through fundraising fashion shows up to 2020, the charity only directed about 10% of the £4.6 million proceeds to related charities, as found by a Charity Commission inquiry.
The report also pointed out that substantial amounts were spent on luxury hotel stays, spa treatments, personal security, and even cigarettes for Campbell during one of Fashion for Relief’s events. In response, a representative for Campbell stated that she “acknowledges and accepts her accountability” as a trustee. Although Campbell admitted she “may not have been as actively engaged in the charity’s day-to-day operations as she should have been,” she firmly claimed, “I have never engaged in any form of financial misconduct.”
In a statement released on Friday, Campbell highlighted her long-standing dedication to charitable work, asserting, “For over three decades, I have dedicated myself tirelessly to charitable causes, always with the sole intention of helping others and never for personal gain. Naomi has never received payment for her involvement with Fashion for Relief, nor has she billed any personal expenses to the organization.”
The spokesperson also addressed a previous report by The Guardian concerning a “serious incident report” filed by Unicef UK. This report originated from an incident where Unicef was incorrectly identified as a fundraising partner for a September 2019 Fashion for Relief event during London Fashion Week. Campbell’s spokesperson explained that discussions had been underway with Unicef regarding a potential collaboration before the event, including the development of promotional materials. However, the partnership fell through at the last minute, and all efforts were made to eliminate Unicef branding from the event’s materials, invitations, and speeches.
Campbell’s team described the earlier reference to Unicef as an honest mistake made in good faith. They pointed out that talks for future collaborations were initiated but ultimately derailed due to the onset of the COVID pandemic. Unicef has consistently stated that it never established an official partnership with Fashion for Relief and did not receive any funds from the 2019 event.
Once the incident came to light, Unicef UK filed the serious incident report in 2022, as charities are legally required to notify the commission about events that could jeopardize beneficiaries or harm their reputation. Other entities, such as Save the Children and The Mayor’s Fund for London, have also indicated that they were owed funds from Fashion for Relief, eventually receiving payments of £200,000 and £50,000 respectively when the charity was dissolved in 2023.
The extensive inquiry report, which took two and a half years to complete, revealed chaotic management practices and poor record-keeping within Fashion for Relief, alongside numerous breaches of legal duties by its trustees. This included unauthorized payments totaling £290,000 to trustee Bianka Hellmich over two years for consultancy and expenses—payments that were subsequently approved by Campbell. Hellmich, who was banned from her trustee role for nine years last week, later reimbursed the funds following intervention by the commission.
