Naomi Campbell’s charity reported to commission over Unicef link-up claims

The model Naomi Campbell’s Fashion for Relief project was the subject of a “serious incident” report filed with the Charity Commission after it claimed to be a fundraising partner of Unicef, it has emerged.

Fashion for Relief put on a spectacular star-studded fashion show and charity auction held at the British Museum in 2019 at which it said it was working with the global children’s charity to raise funds for it and a third charity, the Mayor’s Fund for London.

However, Unicef UK said it had never been a partner of Fashion for Relief, had been unaware of the event, and received no proceeds from the fundraiser. It submitted a serious incident report about Campbell’s charity to the commission in 2022. This is understood to outline concerns that the Unicef brand had been used at the event without the agreement of the charity and in a way that misled potential donors.

Unicef has also asked for clarification as to why Campbell was referred to as a Unicef “envoy” at an official government meeting with the then foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, in 2018. It said Campbell had never held an official role with the charity.

Campbell received a five-year ban from running a charity last week after a highly critical commission inquiry revealed financial misconduct and chaotic management at Fashion for Relief, the charity she founded and was a trustee for.

The inquiry report revealed Fashion for Relief had raised nearly £4.8m in five years up to 2020 but gave just a fraction of the £4.6m it spent on charitable activities – 10% – to partner charities in the form of grants. It said Campbell had run up bills for hotels rooms, flights and spa treatments that were inappropriately charged to the charity.

Campbell criticised the report’s findings at the time, saying it was flawed and “incomplete and misleading”. She added: “I have never undertaken philanthropic work for personal gain, nor will I ever do so.”

In a statement, Unicef UK said: “We take fundraising compliance very seriously and Unicef UK reported Fashion for Relief 2019 to the Charity Commission, as per our statutory requirements. We have never held any official partnership with Fashion for Relief and we have never received any funds from the 2019 event.”

Asked why Fashion for Relief had said it was raising funds for Unicef without Unicef’s agreement, a spokesperson for Campbell said: “Naomi Campbell never held herself out as a representative of Unicef although she worked with them.”

In a brochure for the event, held during London fashion week in September 2019, Fashion for Relief said the funds raised would “support Unicef’s efforts” to protect and transform children’s lives.

On a page prominently displaying the Unicef brand logo, the brochure said: “Working together, funds raised will support Unicef’s efforts to provide the essential interventions to protect, save lives and ensure the rights of all children, everywhere.”

It added: “Through uniting the fashion industry for this very special event by building a community of supporters to raise vital funds and awareness, Fashion for Relief is contributing to help Unicef continue to transform children’s lives worldwide.”

The Mayor’s Fund for London received £100,000 from Fashion for Relief from the 2019 British Museum event. However, it subsequently submitted a serious incident report to the commission after it said £50,000 promised to it from the proceeds of a Fashion for Relief pop-up shop fundraiser in November 2019 never materialised.

Save the Children threatened legal action against Fashion for Relief in 2019 over sums it said it was owed from two previous gala fundraising events held in Cannes in 2017 and 2018. Save the Children and the Mayor’s Fund for London were paid £200,000 and £50,000 respectively when Campbell’s charity was wound up in December 2023.

It is understood Unicef held exploratory talks about a potential link-up with Fashion for Relief in 2018 but decided not to go ahead. Like many big charities, it requires any fundraising partners to sign a formal licensing agreement setting out clear parameters for the use of its name and logo.

Charities are required to make serious incident reports to the Charity Commission when they experience “adverse events” that result in harm to beneficiaries, financial loss, or damage to the charity’s reputation.

Questions have also been raised about a meeting between Campbell and Johnson in 2018 to discuss girls’ education in developing countries. A Foreign Office (FCDO) press release dated 15 June 2018 described Campbell as a “Unicef women’s empowerment envoy”.

Unicef said that Campbell had never been a Unicef envoy – a title that the charity does not use. It said: “Naomi Campbell has never held an official role or title with Unicef or Unicef UK and we are in touch with the FCDO to understand what happened.”

A spokesperson for Campbell said: “Since this was a government press release, we’re not sure why they referred to her as being an ‘envoy’.”

The FCDO was approached for comment.