Richard Robinson studied at La Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne and worked at the Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent haute couture fashion houses in Paris. He established his own haute couture fashion house on Sussex drive in Ottawa, Ontario in 1969. Since then, the academy has been training students from around the world. The Fashion Design Academy continues to teach the same haute couture techniques today. Richard Robinson owned and operated the academy up until the new owner, Renee Berezowski, took over in 2020.