- Fashion for Relief spent £1.6 million on the Cannes gala and just £5,000 on charity
Naomi Campbell’s high-profile charity Fashion For Relief has been closed amid the charity watchdog’s investigation into claims of financial mismanagement, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
The Charity Commission confirmed last night that it had removed the supermodel’s charity from the UK charity register as it continued its investigation into allegations of misconduct.
In this newspaper’s revelations, official records show she spent more than £1.6 million on a glittering gala in Cannes over a 15-month period but donated just £5,000 to charity.
The watchdog said it was still investigating Fashion For Relief, which Ms Campbell founded in 2005, and said she had been inspired by her friend Nelson Mandela who told her to “use [her] vote for good.
The charity claimed to have raised more than £11 million, mainly through glitzy fundraising events around the world, including in New York, Mumbai and Moscow.
Naomi Campbell’s high-profile charity Fashion For Relief has closed due to the charity watchdog’s investigation into claims of financial mismanagement, The Mail on Sunday can reveal (Pictured: Ms Cambell at London Fashion Week in 2019)
The Charity Commission said it is still investigating Fashion For Relief, which Ms Campbell founded in 2005 (Photo: Ms Campbell at a Fashion For Relief show in Cannes in 2018)
Ms Campbell, 53, would take center stage at the galas, appearing in striking designer dresses, and was honored by the British Fashion Council for her philanthropic work in 2019.
But in 2021, concerns were raised about the amount of money being passed on to those in need after the Mayor’s Fund for London made an official complaint, saying the charity was owed £50,000.
The Mayor’s Fund, which helps young Londoners on low incomes, submitted a ‘serious incidents’ report to the Charity Commission, which announced a statutory inquiry in November that year.
Last night a spokesperson for the Charity Commission told this newspaper that the charity had been removed from the charity register last month. It came after the watchdog appointed two managers to take over Fashion For Relief, which was consistently late in reporting its accounts.
A friend of Ms Campbell said last night that Fashion For Relief was set up to raise “awareness” and not just to make money. They insisted the supermodel, who was reportedly worth £63million, had decided to call Fashion For Relief before the watchdog investigation was launched.
A spokesperson for the Charity Commission said: ‘We can confirm that the Commission-appointed interim managers of Fashion For Relief have applied to be removed from the register of charities on the grounds that the organization is no longer active.
“The removal process has now been completed and is reflected in the public record. Our statutory investigation into the charity is ongoing.”
As part of the investigation, Trustees of Fashion For Relief were prohibited from carrying out certain financial transactions in order to ‘protect the charity’s assets’.
A friend of Ms Campbell said last night that Fashion For Relief was set up to raise ‘awareness’ and not just make money (Pictured: Ms Campbell at London Fashion Week 2019)
Ms Campbell, 53, would take center stage at the galas, appearing in spectacular designer dresses, and was honored by the British Fashion Council for her philanthropic work in 2019 (Mrs Campbell photo at The Fashion Awards 2019)
The trustees were Mrs. Campbell; her chief assistant, Veronica Chou, heiress to a £2 billion textile fortune; and socialite and lawyer Bianka Hellmich. Ms Chou stopped charity activities days after the Commission launched its investigation in 2021.
A spokesperson for the charity said: ‘The liquidation of Fashion For Relief was a decision taken by the trustees three years ago. It was not closed by force.
‘Fashion For Relief is active in America and will continue to undertake fundraising initiatives worldwide.’
