The saga of Naomi Campbell’s charity, Fashion for Relief, continues.
Nearly a week after it was revealed the organization was misusing funds and Campbell was banned from being a charity trustee in the UK for the next five years, more of the 19-year-old organization’s alleged misconduct has come to light.
In 2022, the charity was the subject of a “serious” investigation by the United Nations for misrepresenting itself as an ambassador of global children’s charity UNICEF, the Guardian reports. The inquiry stemmed from a 2019 star-studded charity fashion show event held at the British Museum by Fashion for Relief. At that time, Campbell’s charity claimed it was using the event to help UNICEF raise funds in addition to a few other charities.
However, UNICEF UK denied the claims, stating it was not a partner of Fashion for Relief and hadn’t received a cent from the event’s proceeds. In 2022, UNICEF later submitted an incident report to the commission about Campbell’s charity. In the report, UNICEF raised concerns that its brand was being used without proper agreement and potentially to mislead donors.
The global organization further inquired why Campbell was referred to as a UNICEF “envoy” at an official government meeting with then-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, in 2018. Campbell has never held an official role with the charity.
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After news of her organization’s misdealings first emerged last week, Campbell released a statement on Saturday, per CBS News and the Guardian, calling the report “deeply flawed.”
“First of all, I recognize that, as the face of Fashion for Relief, I am ultimately responsible for its conduct,” she said, adding, “Unfortunately, I was not involved in the day-to-day operations of the organization, and I entrusted the legal and operational management to others.”
She explained she’s “instructed new advisers” to look into the matter.
“Secondly, I have never undertaken philanthropic work for personal gain, nor will I ever do so,” she continued. “Contrary to media reports, I have never been paid a fee for my participation in Fashion for Relief nor billed any personal expenses to the organization.”
