Naomi Campbell’s charity organization, Fashion for Relief, is facing some serious backlash.
According to a watchdog investigation, the charity, which closed its doors in March, mismanaged a significant portion of the funds raised during its high-profile events The only over the past ten years. The Guardian reported on Thursday that Campbell, who is 54, has been prohibited from serving as a charity trustee for the next five years. It is alleged that tens of thousands of dollars were spent on the 54-year-old’s extravagant hotel accommodations, spa treatments, personal security, cigarettes, and other expenses.
The investigation also revealed that Campbell’s fellow trustee, Bianka Hellmich, received hundreds of thousands of dollars in unauthorized payments from the charity. As a result, Hellmich has been banned from serving as a charity trustee for nine years. Another trustee, Veronica Chou, has received a four-year ban.
The report also claimed that the charity suffered from “poor governance” and “inadequate financial management.”
From April 2016 to July 2022, only 8.5 percent of its total spending went towards charitable grants. The Daily Mail noted that out of the $1.6 million raised during a gala in Cannes, just $5,000 was donated over a span of 15 months.
Fashion for Relief was reported to regulators in 2021, leading the Charity Commission for England and Wales to launch an inquiry in November of that year.
In December 2023, the organization announced its plan to “dissolve” Fashion for Relief, and the charity officially closed its doors three months later.
The investigation into its finances and record-keeping led to the recovery of nearly $400,000, which was then donated to Save the Children and the Mayor’s Fund for London.
Campbell founded the charity in 2005, along with her We Love Brazil organization, which she also launched that same year.
“Nelson Mandela was my inspiration,” she wrote in a statement on the site. “Fashion For Relief is dedicated to improving the lives of those living in adversity, by uniting the fashion industry as a force for good.”