Thousands of dollars raised for charity from celebrity events was spent on luxury hotel rooms, flights, spa treatments, personal security and cigarettes for supermodel Naomi Campbell, according to an investigation by the UK Charity Commission.
Campbell, as a result, has been slapped with a five-year ban from being a charity trustee.
The inquiry said that over a five-year period from 2016, Fashion for Relief raised just under GBP 4.8 million from a series of fashion shows. However, only GBP 389,000 in grants to partner charities once the cost of events and other expenses were accounted for.
Earlier this month Campbell teamed up with renowned fashion entrepreneur Umar Kamani for the launch of their new venture, KC Global Partnerships, a talent and partnerships agency set to open its headquarters in Dubai Hills Business Park later this month.
The agency aims to revolutionise talent and brand collaborations in the Middle East and beyond, adopting a 360-degree approach to drive innovation and culture through partnerships between talents, brands, celebrities, industry leaders, and experts.
Campbell’s charity expenses
According to the UK Guardian newspaper the charity was charged EUR 14,800 for a flight taking a former unnamed trustee and an unnamed donor to a fundraising event in Cannes in May 2018, the commission said.
While there, the paper said, Campbell stayed in an EUR 3,000-a-night hotel room and ran up personal security costs of more than EUR 4,000. Other expenses incurred to the charity by Campbell during the trip included just under EUR 8,000 on spa treatments, room service, purchases of cigarettes and hotel products.
Campbell stayed at the hotel for six nights, of which only two were attributable to the charity event, the commission found, according to The Guardian.
Speaking in Paris last night after the ban, Campbell said: “I was not in control of my charity, I put the control in the hands of a legal employer. We are investigating to find out what and how, and everything I do and every penny I ever raised goes to charity.”
Campell now has close links to Dubai for her new venture with Kamani, founder of online retailer PrettyLittleThing. The plans for the Dubai agency were first revealed in February. At the time, Kamani told Arabian Business that he felt there was an opportunity to “bridge some gaps in the current talent management world” and that while many countries in the region have pursued talent and signed them to big deals, it very often felt “transactional.”
“Our vision goes beyond facilitating mere transactions. Our platform is designed to nurture authentic, long-term partnerships, creating real value for everyone involved. KC Global Partnerships isn’t just about connecting people – it’s about fostering a collaborative ecosystem that will spark innovation, fuel business expansion, and promote cross-cultural interchange throughout Dubai and beyond,” Kamani said.
At the time, Campbell, co-founder of KC Global Partnerships, added: “Dubai has become a global hub for talent, brands, and innovation. Throughout my career, I’ve experienced firsthand the power of meaningful relationships in driving success and creating opportunities. It’s not just about who you know; it’s about bringing the right people together at the right time. That’s what we’re doing with KC Global Partnerships, but on a much larger scale.”
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