Topshop boss reveals British plans - The Sun

The industry already contributes more then 20billion to the UK economy.

But speaking at the opening of London Fashion Week, Sir Philip unveiled plans to build on the success of previous initiatives and start focusing on British manufacturing and bringing jobs back to the UK.

His Topshop brand has worked with London Fashion Week for ten years providing support for cash-strapped young designers by sponsoring the NewGen project and yesterday he announced a further ten years of support for this initiative.

Here Sir Philip explains why he and the British Fashion Council want to expand support for the industry by encouraging British designers to develop here and stay here, creating more jobs in design, manufacturing and retail.

By SIR PHILIP GREEN

OVER the last ten years Topshop have played a key role in London Fashion Week, providing opportunities for young British designers and new talent to show their collections to the world.

We helped found the Fashion Retail Academy and achieved great success there, bringing new people into the industry and helped work with these designers to sell products here and globally.

Now we want to introduce a manufacturing side to the academy taking people from the initial stages of production, helping with sample machinists and development and spending time working in business with retailers across the UK.

We want to be able to develop industry understanding and support on the manufacturing side to show businesses how they can produce goods at home in the UK.

The fashion industry is worth more than 20billion to the economy, that's 1.7 per cent of the UK's GDP.

It's now twice the size of the chemical and the car industry.

The fashion industry has never been as strong as it is at the moment, the challenge now is to build on its global success to achieve even more.

We need to teach young people how manufacturing works, attract them to the jobs and teach them the skills that will enable us as a nation to complete the job to design, make and sell.

The Fashion Retail Academy has proven that young people want to come into the business, to learn a trade and get a job.

We started with 200 kids, we now have 720 and last year we achieved nearly 65 per cent employment.

We need to train young people in all aspects of the business.

We certainly need to have manufacturing here in the UK. Within the Arcadia Group we are already manufacturing more goods in the UK.

And if we can help get more capacity here most retailers will tell you that there is now a great opportunity to be competitive and still produce at home.

In 2012, with the Olympics and the Jubilee taking place, London's fashion industry is going to be more important than ever.

It's so important at this time that everybody gets behind the youth in this country and we all help where we can to get people into work.

Over the past five years lots of people in the industry have realised the importance of supporting our young talent but we need even more support and more help for these youngsters.

Now more than ever it is important that we continue to help nurture and develop all the young talent we can.