Fashion Retail Academy
We continue to promote learning and the development of talent within the retail industry via our support of the Fashion Retail Academy (FRA). Opened in 2006, the FRA was the first National Skills Academy, preparing students for a career in fashion retail, training them in areas such as buying, merchandising, visual merchandising, styling, store management, marketing and PR, retail business and graphic design.
The FRA offers a range of courses from entry level, requiring no formal qualifications, to a Foundation Degree in Fashion Retail Management.
The FRA has an annual Careers Fair that industry partners attend to recruit talent from the Academy. We work with FRA staff in preparing students for interview and assessment centres. Arcadia also provides inspirational speakers from the brands for the Academy’s Master Class programme.
Graduates of the FRA continue to join businesses such as our own, and we look forward to our continued collaboration into 2012. One graduate who recently joined Dorothy Perkins from the FRA said: “The FRA is a brilliant platform for anybody looking to get into the industry. The experience prepared me fully for the pressures of a busy and lively working environment. If it had not been for the FRA, I would not be in my role today”.
Ten Years of Supporting British Fashion Talent
Having supported new designers since 1999, Topshop has become the single biggest supporter of new talent in the industry. Not only has this assistance given young designers the kind of exposure that Topshop enjoys but it has also endeared the brand to a fresh generation of rising stars.
Known for launching the careers of some of fashion’s biggest names, the New Generation (NEWGEN) scheme is the most established new designer initiative to nurture up-and-coming talent during London Fashion Week. Set up by the British Fashion Council to showcase the best of design from some of the UK’s most prolific talents, Topshop’s role as sponsor since 2002 has enabled numerous designers to reach an international stage. Designers for 2011 include David Koma, Holly Fulton, Louise Gray, Mary Katrantzou and Michael Van Der Ham.
Fashion East
Topshop has also sponsored Fashion East, one of London’s essential platforms for burgeoning and innovative talent, since 2003. Often considered a precursor to NEWGEN, the not-for-profit scheme is credited with helping to bring fresh new talent to the industry’s attention. Previous designers include Jonathan Saunders, Gareth Pugh, Marios Schwab, Simone Rocha and Meadham Kirchhoff.
Head Office Work Experience
Our head offices run a large work experience programme that provides opportunities for school leavers and university students to spend time working with our business to understand how a large company operates.
In 2010-11, our various brands and shared services departments (such as Human Resources or Public Relations) offered over 250 placements.
We also offer Ethical Trading Placements and 2010-11 again saw four students take the opportunity to spend a month at our head offices working within brands and Group Ethical Trading.
The students came from London College of Fashion and Nottingham Trent University. Their placements end with an ethical trading or Fashion Footprint related presentation of their project. Topics this year ranged from up-cycling opportunities (re-using garments to make new ones) to analysis of data behind a brand’s orange graded audits.
One of the students from London College of Fashion said: “The placement was an amazing opportunity to learn more about ethical trading and the ways that a large company like Arcadia handles ethical and environmental concerns. I was impressed at how the ethical trading department manages Arcadia’s supply chain.”
