Alexander McQueen apologises for intern advert

British fashion house Alexander McQueen has been

forced to apologise after an advert for a long-term unpaid internship was issued by mistake for a fashion student to work at their London studio.

The advert, which was emailed to various fashion and design colleges in London, requested a “talented knitwear student” to work for the fashion house, full time, for up to 11 months, adding that only travel expenses would be paid as well as 60 pound per month in lunch vouchers.

The fashion house was forced to issue an apology after Shelly Asquith, president of the University of the Arts London Student Union, wrote to the company pointing out that a twill-woven jacket from McQueen's latest collection costs 8,930 pounds, which nearly equals the university fees a fashion student pays each year.

In her letter, Asquith states: "It is a bitter irony that this is almost as much as the amount of fees a student who may have made it is paying in course fees each year. No amount of luxury is worth the slaving away of an unpaid worker.”

Adding: “I was shocked when I first learned just how prolific the practise of taking on unpaid interns was in fashion. Big name designers such as yours use and abuse fashion students to pattern, fasten, cut and sew in to the early hours and in some cases even use their original designs uncredited.”

In response, a spokesperson for the fashion house told the Huffington Post: "The advertisement in question was issued in error and was not in accordance with our HR policy, for which we apologise.

"In line with UK government guidance, Alexander McQueen has a strict policy of only accepting interns where the student is required to complete a placement as part of their higher or further education studies."