Supermodels Take to Catwalk for UK Flood Relief

LONDON - Supermodel Naomi Campbell announced plans on Monday for a catwalk show at London Fashion Week to raise money for victims of this summer's British floods.

Campbell, who has persuaded fellow models Elle Macpherson, Jodi Kidd and Yasmin Le Bon to join her, said of the floods: "The images I saw on TV and read about in the newspaper were lasting and powerful and really touched me personally."

Sporting a "Fashion For Relief" t-shirt with a Union Jack flag emblazoned on the front, she told reporters: "We wanted to do something to help all those affected by the terrible UK floods -- our way."

Insurers are still counting the cost of two waves of floods that hit Britain in June and July.

The floods, which killed nine people and extensively damaged houses and crops, were the worst to hit the country in 60 years and the total bill could be as high as three billion pounds.

Tickets for the fashion show on Sept. 20 at London's Natural History Museum will cost up to 750 pounds each with all proceeds from the t-shirt sales going to the Rotary Club flood appeal.

But Campbell, the first black model to appear on the front covers of Time and Vogue Magazine, would not be tied down on how much they hoped to raise.

"I don't want to put a figure on it because then you limit yourself," she said.

Australian-born Macpherson said she agreed to take part because "my principle is that charity begins at home. This fits right into that category because home for me is the fashion industry and I live in London."

Designer Vivienne Westwood took the opportunity of the news conference to attack government priorities after the floods.

"It would be really nice if the government could be honest for once," she said.

"If they could say `We've spent all your tax on Trident and we want to spend lots, lots more tax on identity cards which will be of no use to anybody ... but just once we might try and do something.'"