
While the theme of the Fashion For Relief show was Race to The Equality, not all guests were treated equally and some complained they made to feel inferior and unwelcome.
Naomi Campbell showed her friends and fans how a supermodel catwalks as she presented her latest Fashion for Relief fashion show in Cannes.
Campbell – who organised the show to raise funds for the Times Up initiative – was joined on the catwalk by Erin O’Connor, Natalia Vodianova, Bella Hadid, Winnie Harlow among others.
The 2018 event’s theme was Race To Equality and Campbell told press that “equality means to me to be treated fairly in equal ways, impartiality, wherever you are in the world”. The noble desire we note, wasn’t followed even at Naomi’s own event. Ikon London Magazine spoke to the members of press who were invited to cover the event but were ‘treated like cattle’ and sent to the ‘seemingly unimportant queue’ while ‘every Tom, Dick, and Harry was let in after a significant haggling – despite having the correct tickets.
“You either treat everyone equally at your event assuming that all invite-only guests deserve equal treatment or leave the idea of equality alone altogether.”

“We had to demand to speak to the management and threaten to leave the event unless press were treated with respect,” commented the US journalist who didn’t want to be named. “At the same time, we saw people queue jumping and barging in,” the guest of the event continued. “Not willing to quibble, we stood in the queue with about 20 other people with the same mindset. All the rest, it seemed, were let in after significant complaining.”
The journalist we spoke to added, ”you either treat everyone equally at your event assuming that all invite-only guests deserve equal treatment or leave the idea of equality alone altogether.”
The designers showcased included Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Gucci among others. It is being repeated in the media that the outfits for Fashion for Relief show are being donated by the top designers, however, no official press release has been issued to support this claim. No details about the amounts of donations collected or passed for the cause were made public post-event.
One week after the event, the online auction is still ongoing with more than 280 items on sale at charitystars.com.
Back to the show, Campbell owned the catwalk in a corseted Dolce & Gabbana gown with a full fuchsia skirt daubed with paint splatters and graffiti.
During the event, the modelling veteran hinted that struts like these might be some of her last. “I don’t know if I can walk much longer,” she said, “it’s been 32 years.” She said the show should ‘be carried on by the younger generation and for me to sit in the audience and watch’.
The night’s auction — conducted by Simon de Pury — included among the lots a Picasso drawing, titled “Tête de jeune femme,” that sold for 215,000 euros while Craig David performed at the dinner.
The after party held at the same hangar, transformed in a matter of minutes for the third time during the evening, was loud and fun, with champagne flowing all night. Nicole Scherzinger was dancing with great gusto as was Winnie Harlow. The location -narrow roads- causes a taxis and limos jam and delays. Despite this, it was a great evening.
Editor in Chief of Ikon London Magazine, journalist, film producer and founder of The DAFTA Film Awards (The DAFTAs).