Vithanage Erandi Kawshalya Madhushani Jade Times Staff
V. E. K. Madhushani is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Fashion.
Funds Meant for Charity Allegedly Spent on Luxury Expenses
Naomi Campbell’s charity, Fashion for Relief, has come under investigation after Unicef raised concerns regarding its claims of working with the global children’s charity. Unicef UK clarified that it had never partnered with Fashion for Relief and had not received any funds from a 2019 event that supposedly aimed to support it.
Financial Misconduct and Trustee Ban
In 2022, Unicef reported a "serious incident" to the Charity Commission, leading to an inquiry. On 26 September, Naomi Campbell was banned from being a charity trustee after the commission discovered that funds intended for charitable causes were instead spent on luxury hotels, spa treatments, and other unauthorized expenses, including cigarettes for Campbell herself.
Despite this, Campbell’s spokesperson denied any financial misconduct, stating that she had never claimed to represent Unicef and had always worked with the intention of helping others, without personal gain. Campbell herself expressed concern about the findings, stating she was not in control of the charity’s finances.
Questions Over Charity Fundraising
Fashion for Relief, which held a high-profile event at the British Museum in 2019 to raise money for Unicef and the Mayor’s Fund for London, was found to have not passed on the funds as expected. Instead, money was spent on extravagant expenses, prompting complaints from both the Mayor’s Fund for London and Save the Children Fund.
As a result of these findings, Fashion for Relief has been removed from the register of charities, and Campbell, along with trustees Bianka Hellmich and Veronica Chou, has been banned from charity involvement for several years.
Clarifications and Ongoing Legal Review
Campbell's spokesperson emphasized that the supermodel has never received payment for her involvement with the charity and that Fashion for Relief’s collaboration with Unicef in 2019 did not proceed as planned. They added that ongoing discussions for a 2020 event were halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Campbell has since initiated a legal review of the situation as she continues to defend her long-standing commitment to charitable causes.
