Supermodel Naomi Campbell admits failures at charity, denies misconduct, media reports say

LONDON – Supermodel Naomi Campbell acknowledged shortcomings in her role as a trustee of the Fashion For Relief charity, which she founded, media reports said on Oct 4.

Ms Campbell, however, insisted she had not engaged in any financial misconduct or misused the charity for personal gain during its operation, the reports said.

Fashion For Relief did not immediately respond to a Reuters’ request for comment and Ms Campbell could not be reached late on Oct 4 in London.

She “may not have been as actively engaged in the charity’s day-to-day operations as she should have been”, Ms Campbell’s spokesperson told The Guardian, adding that she had “never engaged in any form of financial misconduct”.

In September, she was banned from being a charity trustee for five years after an inquiry found that funds raised for good causes were used for spa treatments and cigarettes.

“Naomi has never received payment for her involvement with Fashion For Relief, nor has she billed any personal expenses to the organisation,” The Guardian reported, citing a statement issued on behalf of Ms Campbell on Oct 4.

She founded Fashion For Relief in 2005, aiming to raise funds for humanitarian causes by staging runway shows, but the charity was removed from Britain’s list of charities in 2024.

An inquiry into the organisation by the Charity Commission found multiple instances of misconduct and mismanagement, and the commission said it was banning Ms Campbell plus two others from trusteeship as a result.

The regulator found that between 2016 and 2022, only 8.5 per cent of Fashion for Relief’s expenditure was directed toward charitable grants. Unauthorised payments of £290,000 (S$496,000) were made to one of the trustees, while money was also spent on room service, spa treatments and cigarettes.