Fashion Retail Academy Review

Currently a student at the FRA, I have enjoyed meeting new people and learning within the academy. The lecturers are all very friendly and informative. Overall I would recommend the FRA to anyone.

I graduate this week from the FRA. When I started my first year, I thought it was the most amazing place I'd ever studied in, the freedom and support was great. However, when I progressed in my second year, it all changed. We had a work placement, and the college asked us for our choices. They didn't give me or my friend any of our choices and placed us on the shop floor instead of in an industry placement, where we had to skip our own work and do our placements FOR FREE, meaning we didn't get paid for three weeks. When we asked them, they said they'd done it because we hadn't worked before. I don't know where they got this information from because it wasn't true. I feel like the teachers and college staff never listened to me, they only wanted to help those who constantly skipped class or those who were the loudest and most irritating. The teachers aren't very professional, they rarely teach lessons and then when we hand in our assignments, they take FOREVER to mark them! I still haven't received a grade from around 5 months ago. I just feel like this college is really unprofessional, and definitely wont be doing further education there. My class was full of rude Essex girls who thought they were better than everyone else, and instead of the college sorting out any issues, they laughed along. I wont be continuing studying at the FRA, and honestly studying there and with the people I would be working with, I've been put off working in the industry! I wouldn't pay for anything there if I could do it again, and I wouldn't even apply!

DO NOT ATTEND THE DEGREE LEVEL!! WASTE OF MONEY!
If i could give zero stars I really would. I am currently doing the degree course at the FRA and it has been the worst time of my life. The teachers, if you can call them that, have no experience whatsoever in teaching, or a degree in teaching, so perform lacklustre presentations, forced to attend idiotic lectures that have no relevance or just don't make sense.

Threatening emails are sent to you and not to mention the invasion of privacy from the so called 'pastrol support'

they couldn't organise anything at all. lectures are cancelled last minute with nothing for the students to do, therefore wasting time and money to do nothing or learn nothing for yet another day.

They are just money grabbers after the students low income. Since they had the degree programme, no resources have been implemented to the students, but they have had a new lecture hall and classrooms built, but it is honestly the smallest lecture theatre for 80 students i have ever seen in a university. Not to mention the weird TV board thing doesn't even work properly.

FRA, if you're reading this, you're a joke. When people hear you do degree courses, they laugh, you're laughable. And i am embarrassed to attend this place.

**EDIT**
I wrote this review a few weeks ago and didn't expect a response as it comes across quite unprofessional when you could have contacted me privately. I would also like to add I am in my first year at the university, so the comment about the final major project doesn't apply to me, perhaps the older year this applies to. the threatening emails did not apply to attendance as i attend all the time except a 2 day course when i was extremely unwell, and got threatening emails to chuck me off the course.
I would like to email you but you have left no contact information?

I just finished my 2 year Level 3 Fashion Design course. Basically if you don t plan on going to university don t go here because they don t care, literally do not care about you or your future. They left me to do all of my portfolio and More

I would like to say that studying at the FRA has been a crazy roller-coaster (in a good way). At first, I had trouble starting and had little knowledge about the Fashion industry. After studying here for 2 years, I gained so much knowledge and understanding from my supportive and incredible tutors. Shout out to Jacoob who has been honest and supportive through my years of studying. He has given me such courage and has challenged my mind and my artistic ability to view the world of fashion in a distinctive perspective. I would also like to thank Suzanne for encouraging me to be free and authentic in illustration. I have learnt new skills and techniques which has further enhanced my drawings in a greater level. Since studying here, I have become more attached in the subject of illustration. Overall, I am entirely greatful and found purpose studying at the FRA

Great college! Studied Level 3 Fashion Retail there. Really loved it. About to go into my second year. Great location right in the middle of central London and close to all the popular retail and shopping locations. I studied a large range of different subjects as part of my course and now know what I would like to specialise in. Overall a great experience!

Attending the Fashion Retail Academy taught me all i needed to know about the industry. I gained invaluable experience from my tutors as well as several regular talks from experts within the industry. I would definitely recommend the FRA to anyone keen for a career down the fashion path.

I recently completed the Level 3 Fashion Retail Course and couldn't recommend it enough! The decision to do this instead of A-Levels is one I don't regret, if you know that you want to work within the Retail industry, then FRA is the best way to get in, they have amazing contacts, work placements and lecturers who all have past industry experience. From level 3 I progressed onto one of the FRA's new 2 year degree courses which is what I am currently doing and am enjoying it immensely.

Terrible in so many ways. There might be a few good teachers there for their specific subjects (pattern cutting, maths for fashion) but most teachers I had were not interested, unprepared and poor as teachers. Free work placements that are literally free labour for nothing, not a job at the end. You will be better off to just do an apprenticeship. Most students get the course for free that s why they re there, if you have to pay - AVOID at all costs! Do a short course at UAL, more value for money.

If there was a rating for posting any stars, I would give it a 0. It was a joke of a degree, worst 2 years of my life. If you wanna do fashion degree, go to ual. This is a made up degree. It was disorganised, teachers would complain about attendance when the teaching was mediocre at best. Don t go here!! Don t waste 2 years of your life

What was once a great place to learn I would no longer say this for how my class was treated last year. Unorganised - got our student loan 3 weeks before we finished so most of us were paying out of our pocket and asking family and friends to loan us money because we were all told lies at the start of the year that we would get it. Smug - the Finance director came to our lesson after our lecturer had enough of how FRA were treating us and LAUGHED when we said we were struggling with money and may have to drop out - his finance team are the worst anyway so unprofessional and incredibly rude. Admin staff don t have a clue what s going on and can t answer a single question. So many bad things happened to Digital Marketing class I wouldn t recommend this course to anyone as they won t care about this class. They are well known for buying and merchandising and care only for those classes and push for great activities and master classes for these classes only. My lecturer after bringing up that FRA we re supposed to organise these great events for us did it off her own back. Masterclasses that are bought in specialise I m buying and merch so pointless if you study anything else as you can t ask the visitor any questions. Oh and we graduated in July and still have no signs of our grade certificates which we all need to employment - this has been chased up with my own class and myself (I sent 2 emails and haven t had a response at all) loved it the first time I came here and now it really comes across as a money making scheme off young people - the principle referred to us as customers not student. I ll also wait for my comment to be deleted as I noticed someone s dad left a review and it s now been deleted!!!

My first year at FRA has been amazing such a great place to study, a unique college which specialises in retail fashion. The teachers have been amazing, always supportive and willing to help.
I am looking forward to my second year a 2 year course which will then allow me to follow my career in this specialised field.
Thank you for a great, fun year. Finn

Teaching and Learning - As a teacher who has worked in state education for 10 years I can recommend FRA to any person wishing to study any element of fashion. The courses provided are unique to the industry and are delivered by professionals who have worked in all areas themselves including Buying, Merchandising, Styling, Production.... Go and study there if you have an interest in working in fashion and want an insiders advantage.

The FRA was incredible and I know I wouldn t be where I am today if I didn t spend my time studying there. Having tutors who had worked in the industry I was looking for get into inspired me endlessly, being surrounded my like minded peers really confirmed that I was on the right path and the contacts I made through the work experience and industry events the FRA organised helped me get my foot in the door and land my first buying job. If you want to be a buyer, this is the place for you!

The college is great. I have been doing level 2 retail this past year and it has been great experience especially having a teacher like Phil Bosley teaching it

Dropping out of A-Levels and choosing to attend the FRA has completely changed my future. I never would have thought that I'd be able to acquire all of the skills needed to have a career in fashion, let alone in such a short space of time.
I've just completed the Level 3 Fashion Retail course and couldn't recommend the academy enough - so much so that I'm going to be starting the Marketing and Communications degree in September. L3 Fashion Retail gave me an insight into the different job roles in the industry so I could find the right pathway to suit me.
Not only has the academy taught me everything I know about the industry, but it has also set me up for life outside college and my future - we had a lot of lessons and workshops based around interview skills, CV making and applying for university which made the transition to HE a lot easier for me. I love being able to learn from all my tutors and peers too, all of the tutors and many of the students have had really interesting job roles and experiences in the industry already, so I love being able to learn and hear about them.
There have been so many benefits from being at the FRA - the industry connections, industry weeks, placements, trip week, library/resources and location of the academy. I've had industry projects with Topshop and Converse through the academy which have both been really interesting and have built my confidence with presenting. I've also attended talks and workshops with brands like ASOS and Louis Vuitton thanks to the connections and industry weeks at the FRA.
Trip week was a major highlight of my time at the FRA, I went to New York and got to go to places like the Fashion Institute of Technology. Being based right by Oxford Circus, atttending FRA has allowed me to travel into the city and have easy access to different retail environments for research; having a two day week timetable is beneficial too, it makes juggling education and a job possible, and meant I could work independently at home rather than having to travel into central London every day. I like to make the most out of the resources in the FRA too, access to WGSN and countless books and magazines have made my project research easier too.
Possibly my favourite thing about the FRA is that they don't treat you like children - which has been the main difference between FRA and my old, local college. There's more of a professional, office vibe - the building being immaculate is also a plus, it doesn't feel like a boring old classroom. I also feel like because the college only has fashion related courses most of the students really want to be here and aren't just there because they have to be, the students and tutors have a real passion for the industry - which is a lot different from most of typical colleges too.
The academy has taught me about the basic job roles of the industry, how to present, how to write a CV and personal statement, how to approach brands, how to use computers and programs like Excel and InDesign, how to do a bibliography in Harvard format, how to conduct and gather in-depth research, how to find news and updates about the industry and how to make my work aesthetically pleasing.
I couldn't recommend the FRA enough, I wouldn't be where I am without them - especially all while being so young.

One of the best fashion colleges by far, teachers are very welcoming, lots of fun work to do and students are very nice. Currently in level 2 fashion retail (teacher Phillip Bosley who is a great teacher) and soon progressing onto level 3 fashion retail, Would recommend.

Do not go here. I have attended here for 2 years and it has been the worst experience of my life. Zero support, teachers that have no real understanding of the course its self and no facilities that you would expect from a university. That's only a few issues that I can name. Please if you're reading this, go to a different uni.

I finished the fashion Retail academy two moments ago, and am very very disappointed in my experience.
I received my grade a month ago, and even though I done well and achieved the ucas points I need for my university course (not a fashion course!) I definitely feel I was unfairly graded. The teacher who graded me and was my assigned tutor met with me ONCE, when she was supposed to meet with me for a minimum of 10 times. Every time I asked for a meeting, she said she was busy.
There is A LOT of favouritism in this college. People in my class who weren t very good at the work, didn t bother to turn up and didn t bother to put any effort in got the highest grades. A girl in my class got student of the year, even though she rarely put any effort in and missed a lot of classes. She was constantly sucking up to the teachers and acting stupid... clearly this college rewards you more for how you act rather than the work you actually produce, it s pathetic. She really didn t deserve a high grade or student of the year.
I m glad I m finished, I will never return and have been put off working in the industry! I hated my class, full of rude girls who thought they were something they weren t and when you confronted them, they went quiet. It s pathetic. This college is badly run, the teachers are very very unprofessional, they share your personal business among the class! The chef is very rude and judgemental, the only good part is the Spanish guy who runs the till in the canteen, he s lovely!

I am in my final year of my degree and have had an amazing positive experience at FRA. It has the best industry contacts, the lecturers are all industry experienced and are very helpful. The degree is not only educationally focused but also extremely industry focused which for me is a perfect balance.

During the lock down for covid 19 online learning has been a positive experience for me. Webinar, zoom and Microsoft teams are all working well on the whole and I'm getting used to online learning much more. Obviously I miss having face to face interaction every once in a while but that can't be helped in a time like this. The lecturer's and uni have been super supportive and I couldn't ask for more.

I definitely recommend going to FRA

DO NOT GO HERE. BIGGEST CON GOING.
WARNING FOR STUDENTS LOOKING TO STUDY AT A DEGREE LEVEL.

This place is truly awful, completely disorganised and unprofessional. There is barely any learning resources for students, and very limited learning space, crammed classrooms and only 1 lecture hall!

Okay so firstly I never leave reviews on sites period. But felt the need to do one for the Fashion Retail Academy A) because I loved my time here and it got me the job I wanted which not have been possible otherwise and B) some of the recent reviews are just plain stupid.

I studied here for 3 years and completed Level 3 and then a level 4. The course tutors were mostly amazing, great facilities (in comparison to most colleges or unis the place has everything you need), industry placement was great as was the industry project. You re only in two days a week, and I worked part time the rest of the week, and had some decent down time, to spend my hard earned cash!

If anything I wish my time was longer. I got my dream job and if I hadnt I would probably have studied for a degree here also. My friend is currently studying the Marketing Fir Fashion. Some of our others mates are doing similar degrees elsewhere and they can t believe the contact he is getting with industry does sound proper amazing.

I don t agree with the other recent reviews. Being sour about your grade, well hey it s life, work harder. Being sour because someone else got an award and you didn t, well hey it s life, don t concern yourself with others just focus on being the best you and where you want to be. Complaint that some people didn t attend well and still got a better grade than you? Hey, that s life, be happy for them that despite not being there they still did well! When work is getting marked I doubt they mark on attendance.

Complaining about the type of student in your classes? OMFG are you kidding that s just crazy and slightly racist, hey it s life, in work you re gonna be surrounded by all different types of people, some you will like others you won t, just like studying. You think it s not immature or inappropriate to slate them? Well the world of work is going to be a real eye opener for you!

Only one lecture theatre?! Your point? How many can you sit in at one time!? Teachers aren t qualified you say? What and you ARE qualified to make that judgement are you?! Jokers!

Personally in my time here whenever I had an issue I went and spoke to someone and it did get sorted.

I have studied at other places before. Some I dropped out of, some I didn t. This was the first place I felt actually worked for me to just focus on where I wanted to get. It wasn t about grades, passing a course or just turning up for the sake, I could literally see the end in sight. Best money I spent on myself.

Overall, like I said, I don t ever leave reviews but I loved my time here as did almost everyone else I know. It taught me lots, gave me lots of experience and i got a job. Not sure what more you can ask for from an education!

I have just completed the fast track L4 fashion buying and merchandising course, and it was one of the best experience in my life.
The school was everything i hoped for and more, everyone was lovely, and helpful when needed. I made lot of friends, we had lot fun but also learned a great deal about fashion. Shout out to my teachers: Debbie Taylor, Michaela Clements, Sharon robinson, and helen, they were absoluetly amazing in teaching us , always supportive ( and sometimes strict when needed haha) .
The fashion RetaiL Academy has an excellent industry reputation, if you want to work in fashion, having the FRA on your CV will certainly help you A LOT!

First of all, going to Fashion Retail Academy was both exciting and an adventures journey for me while studying L3 Fashion Design. The whole experience that I have had at FRA has enabled me to fit into the university environment very well. I am so glad that I had a very supportive staff member that helped me get the right help I needed for my dyslexia going to university and also with my personal statement. Going into to the course, I did not know much about the fashion industry but know that I have finished college I have a better understanding of how the fashion industry works along with what opportunity are available. This course has allowed me to understand what kind of designer I am with the guidance of my tutors and this may be different for others.

Overall i think the Fashion Retail Academy is a brilliant college. I am a student so i have witnessed what it's like inside the classrooms and i can tell you now that it has excellent teachers and a great atmosphere to learn in. Very very satisfied with the college.

Decent facilities and excellent teaching. Great environment to make connections

One of the best fashion college's by far, teachers are really welcoming, lots of fun work to do and students are really nice.Currently doing Level2 Fashion Retail (teacher Phillip Bosley, who is an amazing teacher) and soon to be progressing onto Level3 Fashion Retail.Would Recommend

FRA is a great college to start any career in the fashion and retail world. FRA is located just off Tottenham Court Road and is ideally placed for students to travel in via trains and tube. The staff are helpful and knowledgeable, and I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending the FRA to anyone who sees themselves with a career within this industry. 5 stars are well deserved.

Tacky, unorganized academy with air head only way is essex young students !