Fashion designer Mowalola Ogunlesi has revealed the real meaning behind the bullet hole dress worn by Naomi Campbell.

Earlier this month, the supermodel made a bold statement at her Fashion For Relief gala, wearing a dress that featured fake blood pouring out of a bullet hole wound.

The dress was lauded by many as a powerful political statement on gun violence, however others believed the garment undermined victims with some calling it “insulting” and “bad taste”.

“I know it's for charity but the bloodied bullet hole dress is surely beyond bad taste Naomi Campbell?” one person wrote on Twitter alongside the hashtag #guncrime.

Another person added: “If you say it's political with a black woman being shot that's b******s and an insult to people who have lost their life by a bullet.”

However, now Campbell and Ogunlesi have defended the dress, revealing it was part of a collection that delved “into the horrific feeling of falling in love”.

In a statement on Instagram, Ogunlesi said the dress is extremely important to her and refers to her “lived experience as a black person”.

The designer added: “I make clothes to challenge people’s minds. This gown is from my collection ‘Coming For Blood’ – a delving into the horrific feeling of falling in love.

“It shows no matter how well dressed you are or well behaved, we are time after time, seen as a walking target.”

Campbell commented under the post – which included a picture of the supermodel wearing the gown – in support of Mowalola’s statement.

“This dress is not about glamourising gun crime in any way,” Campbell wrote.

“It’s an artistic statement. I support @mowalola, who’s doing such great work and is passionate about bringing such a serious issue to light through her designs.

“Proud of you and your courage, as we are still in the grips of trying to balance diversity In the UK”.

The 49-year-old hosted her annual charity event during London Fashion Week, with the aim of raising money for the Mayor’s Fund for London.

Some of the biggest names in fashion attended or walked the runway, including Stella Maxwell and Leomie Anderson.

Fashion For Relief aims to fight poverty and support disadvantaged people around the world and has raised millions in donations over the past 14 years.