Former supermodel Naomi Campbell said Wednesday she will appeal against a UK watchdog ban on being a charity trustee, suggesting “fake identities” had wrongly implicated her in a funding scandal.
The Charity Commission last year banned the 54-year-old from running any charity for five years after identifying “multiple instances of misconduct” in the running of her Fashion for Relief organisation.
It found charity money had been used to pay for Campbell to stay in a five-star hotel in the south of France, including spa treatments and room service.
The ex-supermodel at the time branded the watchdog’s findings “deeply flawed” and insisted that newly-instructed advisers were investigating what happened at the charity.
In a statement released late Wednesday, she said a tribunal had granted her permission to appeal the commission’s findings “after considering the evidence I have submitted”.
“Ever since the commission’s report, I have fought to uncover the facts. What has been unearthed so far is shocking,” Campbell stated.
“I want to shine a light on how easy it is to fake identities online and prevent anybody else going through what I have been through.”
Campbell insisted she had “never undertaken philanthropic work for personal gain, nor will I ever do so”.
The case is due to come before the tribunal on Friday, according to Britain’s domestic Press Association news agency.
Campbell’s representatives claim documents submitted to the commission gave a false impression of her involvement in running the UK charity, the agency said.
They argue there is evidence of a fake email account which was used to impersonate the former supermodel in communications with lawyers, it added.
Campbell founded the charity in 2005, aiming to harness the fashion industry to relieve poverty and advance health and education, by making grants to other organisations and giving resources towards global disasters.
But the watchdog probe published last September found that between April 2016 and July 2022, only 8.5 percent of Fashion for Relief’s overall expenditure went on grants to charities.
The charity was dissolved and removed from the register of charities last year, with two other trustees also receiving bans.
At the time, Campbell said she was “extremely concerned” by the regulator’s findings and that she was “not in control of my charity” having “put the control in the hands of a lawyer”
Canada Goose Holdings trimmed its annual profit forecast and missed quarterly revenue estimates on Thursday due to choppy sales in key luxury goods market China, sending its U.S.-listed shares down 6% in premarket trading.
Weak consumer spending in China, which is grappling with youth unemployment and a property crisis, has been a major concern for the luxury goods industry and has slowed demand recovery in the region, significantly impacting brands such as Canada Goose.
U.S. luxury retailer Estee Lauder, which bet on China, expanded a restructuring plan on Tuesday that involves up to 7,000 job cuts as the cosmetics giant grapples with persistent demand weakness, especially in Asia.
Toronto, Ontario-based Canada Goose saw revenues in Greater China drop by 4.7%, compared to the previous quarter’s 5.7% jump.
It expects fiscal 2025 adjusted profit of flat to low-single-digit percentage growth, compared to its previous forecast of a mid-single-digit rise.
The company’s third-quarter revenue fell to C$607.9 million ($423.59 million), from C$609.9 million a year earlier.
Analysts on average had expected revenue of C$620.9 million, according to data compiled by LSEG.
Excluding one-off items, Canada Goose posted a profit of C$1.51 per share, compared with an estimate of C$1.54 per share.
M&S delivered a shock leadership team update on Thursday — well shocking to outsiders as the company has apparently been working on the moves for a while — with news that John Lyttle, formerly CEO of Boohoo Group, will be joining on 3 March as MD of Clothing, Home & Beauty in a planned succession. He takes over from Richard Price who’s been in the role since 2020 and is “leaving M&S to pursue a portfolio career, following a handover period”, at the end of April.
M&S said Lyttle has “extensive retail and transformation experience, spending five years at Boohoo and nine years at Primark as COO”.
Maddy Evans, currently director of Womenswear, will also take on a broader role including Lingerie, becoming director of M&S Woman. Charlotte Davies, its director of Lingerie who recently joined from Hunkemöller where she was chief product officer, will report to Evans.
And David Brittain will join as director of Home & Beauty at the end of April from Amazon. He’s currently business development director, Amazon Fashion, Europe.
Additionally, Heidi Woodhouse, who’s director of Home, Furniture & Beauty will be leaving M&S after a handover period with Brittain.
CEO Stuart Machin said that “thanks to Richard’s leadership, the Clothing, Home & Beauty business is now on a much stronger footing with improved product. Style perceptions have increased consistently and our lead on quality and value has extended, driving growth in sales and market share. Richard leaves the business as a long-standing friend of M&S and we wish him the very best.
“That said, there remains much to do and so much opportunity in this next phase of our plan to reshape M&S for future growth. Changes under way to embed strategic sourcing partnerships, a modern planning platform and an efficient logistics network are nascent and there is lots to do to develop a truly omnichannel Clothing, Home & Beauty business.”
He also said that Lyttle “brings extensive experience in driving strong volume-based growth and supply chain transformation across store-based and pureplay retailers. His down-to-earth leadership style fits with our sleeves rolled up, ‘tell it as it is’ culture.
“John will be supported by a strong leadership team. Maddy Evans is transforming our Womenswear proposition and I am delighted to broaden her remit to include our trusted heartland of Lingerie. Bringing all of our Womenswear categories together will further improve our customer proposition and style credentials, and this change builds on the progress Charlotte Davies has already started to make.
“David Brittain is a great addition to the leadership team with a strong track record across Fashion, Home & Beauty in stores and online.”
The European Commission has asked online fast-fashion retailer Shein to provide internal documents and more detailed information on risks linked to the presence of illegal goods and content on its marketplace, the EU executive said on Thursday.
Shein said it welcomes “efforts that enhance trust and safety for European consumers when shopping online”.
The Commission said it had given Shein a deadline of February 27 to provide detailed information on measures it has adopted to mitigate risks relating to consumer protection, public health and users’ wellbeing.
Under the powers granted by the Digital Services Act (DSA), the Commission also asked the Chinese online retailer about the transparency of its recommender systems, access to data for qualified researchers, and it requested details on the protection of users’ personal data.
It added the request related to an ongoing DSA investigation against Shein, which was founded in China and is headquartered in Singapore. The Commission has also been investigating Shein rival Temu, part of Chinese e-commerce giant PDD Holdings, under the DSA.
On Wednesday, the Commission said Temu and Shein, which is working towards a London IPO this year, would be held liable for the sale of unsafe products on their platforms, as part of a crackdown on cheap e-commerce imports into the European Union (EU).
It said its concerns were triggered by some 4.6 billion parcels worth less than 150 euros ($155.39) bought online and imported into the EU duty-free last year, equal to 12 million parcels per day, 91% of which came from China. The number of shipments was double that in 2023.
The EU executive, which has proposed customs reforms including ending the duty exemption for low-value shipments, said on Wednesday it aimed to bring forward some of the changes to 2026 rather than 2027.
As part of tariffs on China, U.S. President Donald Trump‘s administration this week gave businesses just over 48 hours’ notice of the end of its equivalent “de minimis” provision, used by retailers including Temu and Shein to import packages worth less than $800 from China.