Naomi Campbell admitted neglecting her duties as director of the charity she founded Fashion for Relief, but denied engaging in any financial misconduct during its turbulent nine years of operation. He also claimed that he had never used the charity for personal gain.
Ms Campbell was last week banned from running the charity for five years after a damning report found she and two fellow trustees guilty of multiple counts of serious fraud and financial mismanagement.
Fashion for Relief raised nearly £4.8m from its fashion show fundraisers in the five years to 2020, but only 10% of its £4.6m revenue went to partner charities in the form of grants. An investigation by the Charity Commission found that it was just that.
The charity, which was founded to raise money for good causes around the world, will be donating luxury hotel rooms, spa treatments, personal security, cigarettes and more to Campbell at its Fashion for Relief charity fashion event. It was revealed that he spent £10,000 on it.
A spokeswoman for Ms Campbell said she “recognizes and accepts her responsibilities” as a trustee of Fashion for Relief. She admitted that she “may not have been as actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the charity as she should have been”, but said she had “never been involved in any form of financial misconduct”. said.
A statement released on Friday on behalf of Mr Campbell said: [Campbell] He actively devotes himself to charity work, always with the sole purpose of helping others, never for personal gain. Naomi has never received compensation for her involvement with Fashion for Relief and has never charged any personal expenses to the organization. ”
The statement also follows Fashion for Relief's submission to the UK Committee for UNICEF after the global children's charity was mistakenly named as a fundraising partner for Fashion for Relief's London Fashion Week charity. It also referred to a report in the Guardian newspaper that revealed that he had been the subject of a “serious incident report''. Events in September 2019.
A spokesperson for Mr Campbell said Fashion for Relief had been involved in “ongoing meetings and discussions” about fundraising collaboration with UNICEF before the event and had prepared promotional materials in anticipation. . press articles and social media Mentioning Fashion for Relief in partnership with UNICEF in front and rear event.
A spokesperson said: “At the last minute the partnership could not proceed. Every effort was made to remove UNICEF branding from event materials. UNICEF is not included on the event invitation or website. , UNICEF was not even mentioned in Naomi's speech.
Mr Campbell's team believes that using the UNICEF brand in promotional materials was an honest mistake made in good faith. A spokesperson said that after the 2019 event, Fashion for Relief had discussions with UNICEF UK about possible future fundraising collaborations, but this did not materialize due to the coronavirus pandemic.
UNICEF said it had nothing to add to the statement issued earlier this week. We have never entered into an official partnership with Fashion for Relief, nor have we received any funds from the 2019 event.
UNICEF UK filed a Serious Incident Report in 2022 after becoming aware that UNICEF branding had been used in connection with this event. Charities are required to report to the commission if they experience an “adverse event” that they believe results in harm to beneficiaries, financial loss or damage to their reputation.
Save the Children and the Mayor of London's Fund said they were left unpaid after partnering with Fashion for Relief on a fundraising event. They then received £200,000 and £50,000 respectively when Fashion for Relief was terminated by commission managers in 2023.
This critical incident report was considered during the commission's two and a half year investigation into Fashion for Relief. of investigation report details an extraordinary example of years of chaotic management and poor record-keeping at a charity, as well as multiple breaches of directors' legal duties.
These include unapproved consultancy work and costs payments of £290,000 over two years to Fashion for Relief trustee Bianca Helmich. The payments retroactively approved by Campbell were made in breach of his legal duties as a trustee. Last week, Mr. Helmich was banned from trusteeship for nine years, but he repaid the money after the commission intervened.
