The project has been led by Sir Philip Green, in conjunction with Marks & Spencer, Next, GUS and Tesco. 220 students are enrolled at the Academy, which this term moved into new premises at 15 Gresse Street in London's West End.
Tony Blair praised the efforts of Green and his partners, describing the academy as 'an important innovation to which I personally am very committed. Having a retail industry at the cutting edge of creativity and fashion is very important to me.'
'It's very unusual to get four retailers who want to work together,' said Green, 'but we are creating a pool of talent, which is much better than poaching each other's staff.'
The£20 million required to fund the Academy was raised on a 50/50 basis from the retailers and the Government. Students undertake a mixture of classroom based learning and work placements as part of the course.
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