Camilla Franks in court fight with father Bill over clothing empire

Publicly, kaftan queen Camilla Franks credited her father Bill with helping build her multimillion-dollar bohemian fashion empire. But behind closed doors, they are at war. Brenden Hills unravels the bitter feud tearing the family apart.

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Publicly, kaftan queen Camilla Franks credited her father Bill with helping build her multimillion-dollar bohemian fashion empire. But behind closed doors, they are at war.

Hidden in the background of the Camilla brand’s rise to internationally recognised fashion label is the reality that the father-daughter relationship broke down soon after the label launched in 2004..

She says he exploited his power imbalance in the relationship to make himself a shareholder.

He claims she used him as a stepping stone to riches and is refusing to honour an agreement to be partners in the fashion brand, which has been worn by influential celebrities like Beyonce and Oprah.

Fashion designer Camilla Franks publicly credited her father Bill for helping launch her fashion label.

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The ill feelings have spilt into the NSW Supreme Court, where the pair are facing off over the millions earned by the Camilla brand and a multimillion-dollar property development in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.

Mr Franks, 73, launched legal action against his daughter, claiming she has refused to pay him a cent since 2011 despite him being a 25 per cent shareholder, which holds retained earnings of almost $20 million.

Her mother Narelle Franks is also suing Camilla as the second plaintiff.

Mr Franks started the case in July, two months after Ms Franks revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and six months after she gave birth to a daughter, Luna.

She underwent five months of chemotherapy, with her last session in September, and she is understood to be receiving ongoing treatment.

In his statement of claim, Mr Franks said he propped up Camilla’s business with free rent, financial support and the business acumen to develop the label into the success story it is today.

Camilla Franks with partner JP Jones in Cowbridge, Wales on Friday. Picture: Dimitris Legakis

Mr Franks claims his daughter agreed to pay back the money once the business turned a profit. Ms Franks denied there was an agreement.

The Camilla chain has 20 stores across Australia, including in exclusive Mosman and Paddington.

Mr Franks has asked the court to wind up the Camilla empire’s holding company, claiming his daughter’s refusal to pay him is a breach of the law.

He also wants court orders to force his daughter to buy his shares off him and prevent her from moving company cash and assets.

Ms Franks, 42, who is currently in the UK with her partner, Welsh artist and musician JP Jones, where she is recuperating from cancer treatment, has hit back with a defence statement denying her father’s claims.

She is also counter suing her father for the return of the shares and the more than $1 million paid to him prior to 2011.

Camilla's retained earnings since 2010.

In her cross claim documents, she says her father abused his position of “ascendancy” in their relationship and used “undue influence” to have himself installed as a shareholder.

Mr Franks is also suing his daughter over a block of four luxury units on New South Head Rd in Vaucluse, worth more than $10 million.

Under a complex arrangement, Ms Franks owned two of the units while her parents owned the other two. The parents sold their units and moved into one of Camilla’s.

Ms Franks moved to sell one of her units last year and reserved her rights to sell the other, court documents said.

I’m very proud of the success Camilla has had in her business which I have funded from day one to today

Mr Franks took legal action claiming his daughter breached a legal agreement that said her parents were the owners of the units and that they were on “loan” to their daughter until she repaid them.

He has asked the court for an order that he and his wife control the money from any sale of the units.

Ms Franks denied there was a legally binding agreement and on August 9, Ms Franks applied for a court order restraining her parents from entering one of her units.

Mr Franks is also suing his daughter of this block of four luxury units on New South Head Rd in Vaucluse.

Until now, the Franks’s battles had remained behind closed doors.

In a 2006 article titled “Me and my mentor”, Ms Franks said: “There would be no label if I didn’t have mum and dad backing me 100 per cent.”

Born in Newcastle, Mr Franks is an architect who turned to property development. Mrs Franks was a model who became a David Jones buyer.

Part of Camilla’s upbringing was at the family’s Watsons Bay mansion.

Mr Franks claims he let his daughter’s business operate from the home rent-free between 2004 and 2007 and renovated it to better accommodate her.

He also claims he funded the business and Camilla’s living expenses while also picking up the establishment costs and rent.

He claims to have also incurred costs including travel for research, fashion shows and fit outs of offices and showrooms.

In his court documents, Mr Franks said this was done on agreement the money would be repaid once the business was profitable.

In her defence statement, Ms franks either denied or did not admit the claims.

Instead, she said her parents’ services were “limited to ad hoc advice, assistance in the establishment of two stores”, accompanying her to some trade shows and occasionally contacting suppliers.

Camilla Franks was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. Picture: Christian Gilles

In 2011, Mr franks was removed as a director of the company and he claims his daughter banned him from managing the label’s affairs.

He identified 2011 as the year when the relationship of “mutual co-operation, trust and confidence in respect to management of the business” broke down.

But Ms Franks claimed in her documents that the relationship “had broken down by 2005”.

She said that in 2009 Mr Franks asked her to transfer the 25 per cent shareholding into his name to “prove his serviceability of loans” and that he promised to have no involvement in the business.

The father and daughter were ordered into mediation by the courts in November last year, with the matter returning later this month.

In court in November the parties were ordered into mediation.

Three months earlier, the court also ordered that the $2.4 million that Camilla sold one of her Vaucluse apartments for in October 2018 be paid into a controlled money account.

The money will not be released without consent of the warring parties and an order of the court.

The matter will return to court on February 22.

Camilla CEO Jane McNally said yesterday: “Camilla is presently working through ongoing confidential mediation with her father, which she is hopeful will resolve the situation and, as such, she is unable to give any further details at the present time.

“Camilla is able to say, however, that she loves her father and has supported him and acknowledges his assistance in launching her brand and through the early years of her business.”

When contacted yesterday Mr Franks said through spokeman Tim Allerton: “I’m very proud of the success Camilla has had in her business which I have funded from day one to today.”

“Her mother and myself love her very much,” Mr Franks said.

“The discussions are amicable and we’re hopeful of a speedy settlement of the matter.”