Supermodel Naomi Campbell has been prohibited from serving as a charity trustee for five years after a Charity Commission inquiry revealed that funds from her organization, Fashion for Relief, were misused on luxury accommodations and spa treatments.
The investigation uncovered that Fashion for Relief failed to allocate a sufficient portion of its fundraising revenue to charitable causes. Instead, significant amounts were spent on personal expenses, including cigarettes and security for Campbell, as well as unauthorized payments to another trustee.
Alongside Campbell, fellow trustees Bianka Hellmich and Veronica Chou received bans of nine and four years, respectively. Representatives for Campbell have been approached for comment by the BBC.
The inquiry revealed that a total of £290,000 was disbursed to Hellmich for consultancy services, which violated the charity’s constitution. Investigators were able to recover nearly £345,000 from the charity and established protection for an additional £98,000.
The recovered funds have been allocated to other charities, including Save the Children Fund and the Mayor’s Fund for London, as well as to cover Fashion for Relief’s financial liabilities.
The inquiry, which examined expenses from April 2016 to July 2022, found that a mere 8.5% of the funds raised were used for charitable grants. Complaints from Save the Children Fund and the Mayor’s Fund for London prompted the inquiry, highlighting issues with how Fashion for Relief managed its partnerships.
Tim Hopkins, a member of the investigations team, emphasized the responsibilities of charity trustees, stating, “Trustees are legally required to make decisions that are in their charity’s best interests and to comply with their legal duties and responsibilities.” He added, “Our inquiry has found that the trustees of this charity failed to do so, which has resulted in our action to disqualify them.”
Fashion for Relief was officially removed from the register of charities on March 15, 2024.
