Naomi Campbell--Haiti Relief Effort

Naomi Campbell inspires me.

Excerpts from Business Week, The Associated Press, February 4, 2010.

Naomi Campbell plans fashion show for Haiti relief
by: Samantha Critchell

Naomi Campbell called on the fashion world to do its part for the Haiti relief effort -- and the fashion world answered: There will be a charity catwalk show pairing top models and designers at New York Fashion Week.

Campbell organized the first Fashion for Relief event at he Byrant Park tents in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and has since taken it to Tanzania and Mumbai, India. The return to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week on Feb. 12th comes at the right time, Campbell said.

"Everyone else is trying to help Haiti, and we wanted to do our part on the fashion side of things," Campbell said in a telephone interview from Paris. "The response has been overwhelming. No one has said "no"--which means a lot because it's such a busy time with designers preparing their fall collections".

The event is still coming together, but Campbell said she had called upon her friends, including Christy Turlington and the Duchess of York, asking them to participate. Celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe is putting together the looks, and designer Marc Jacobs has already created a special Louis Vuitton handbag, one of many items that will go on sale on the Net-a-Porter Web site March 15, with proceeds going to the organization CARE.

The 39-year old, who rarely walks the runway nowadays, will be one of the models. She hasn't retired from the catwalk, she said, although she saves most of her appearances for charity shows.

February 4, 2010 2:01 PM