Millionaire In The Style fashion tycoon wins £125m legal battle against rival who accused him of stealing his business plan for the empire which collaborates with celebrities including Stacey Solomon and Billie Faiers

• Adam Frisby, 35, created In The Style and a fashion empire worth £100million
• Was sued over whose idea it was but won his case after judge ruled him creator 

Fashion boss Adam Frisby – who built a £100milion empire – has had a rival’s claim that he came up with the idea for his business thrown out of court.

Mr Frisby, 35, founded In The Style, a digital womenswear brand he said he created in his bedroom with £1,000 redundancy money and which is now worth over £100m.

The brand uses TV personalities and social media influencers to design and market its lines and has enjoyed huge success, making Mr Frisby – who dropped out of school with no GCSEs aged 15 – a multimillionaire with an estimated £35m fortune.

But he found himself dragged into a High Court row after being sued by businessman Paul Clements over whose idea In The Style really was.

Suing for millions, Mr Clements claimed he told Mr Frisby of his plan for the business in 2013 and put in his own start-up money, and that Mr Frisby ‘took advantage’ of that to set up his own company using the idea.

Adam Frisby (right) with one of his In The Style celebrity colaborators Charlotte Dawson

Mr Frisby said becoming embroiled in the case had led to the ‘most difficult and unimaginable few months’ of his life and that he was ‘pleased and relieved’ with the ruling

But today, after a High Court trial in Manchester, Judge Mark Cawson threw out Mr Clements’ case, branding his ‘narrative’ of how In The Style started to be ‘false.’

Speaking afterwards, Mr Frisby said becoming embroiled in the case had led to the ‘most difficult and unimaginable few months’ of his life and that he was ‘pleased and relieved’ with the ruling.

‘The judgment confirmed I have told the entire truth,’ he said.

Manchester-based In The Style describes itself online as ‘a digital womenswear fashion brand that champions female empowerment, inclusivity and body confidence’.

The company website describes how Mr Frisby launched the business from his bedroom in 2014, building it up to the point where it is now run out of a 30,000 sq ft warehouse, with clothes made in the UK and China, and has 120 staff.

Picture shows fashion boss Adam Frisby, on the left, who had won the case against a rival

The brand has since created collections with social media influencers and TV personalities including Billie Faiers, pictured

Private equity firm Causeway Capital reportedly injected £2.5 million into the company in 2019 but no longer have shares in the business.

In The Style launched its first celebrity-designed clothing collection with TOWIE star Lauren Pope and the brand has since created collections with social media influencers and TV personalities including Charlotte Crosby, Billie Faiers, Perrie Sian and Jac Jossa.

The company sells through its website and app with a marketing business model focused on social media.

Mr Frisby has talked in interviews about how he dropped out of school at 15 with no qualifications and worked in Burger King and as a carer before following his fashion dream after being made redundant.

But at the High Court, he faced the accusation by Mr Clements that he had nicked his business idea and even the name for In The Style after they met in 2013.

Stacey Solomon has also collaborated with In The Style for her own range and garments

Mr Clements claimed to have developed the business model and had engaged Mr Frisby to test and activate his plans, putting up £10,300 as an initial investment.

He claimed to have ‘fully disclosed’ the business plan, including his ideas for advertisement, promotions and marketing, and the identity of potential suppliers, to Mr Frisby.

But through an associate, Mr Frisby had ‘falsely or wrongly told Mr Clements that the business plan had no future,’ he claimed, before instead developing the idea using his own company.

Mr Frisby denied the allegation, saying he was inspired to start up his fashion empire in or around May 2013 by ‘Want That Trend’, an online business which sold women’s clothing, and discussed doing something similar with a friend, Jessica Devine, who was subsequently involved with In The Style.

He claimed he only met Mr Clements once when he and Mrs Devine approached him to ask him to invest and that he never spoke to Mr Clements again after that meeting at the Crown and Anchor pub in Ancoats, Manchester.

From June 2013, he had worked ‘tirelessly in the creation, development, growth and success of the company’ – with no involvement at all of Mr Clements.

Ruling on the case, Judge Cawson said it was ‘telling’ that Mr Clements had only asserted his claim after the stock market floatation of In The Style was reported in the media.

‘I have come to the firm view that the narrative advanced by Mr Frisby is the true narrative, and that the narrative advanced by Mr Clements is a false one,’ he continued.

‘Consequently, I find that the idea behind In The Style and its business concerning collaboration with celebrities involved in reality TV in the marketing, through a website and social media, of fast fashion to younger end women, was that of Mr Frisby and Mrs Devine, and that Mr Clements played no part therein.

‘Further, I find that the only meeting between Mr Frisby and Mr Clements was the one meeting at the Crown and Anchor, at which Mr Clements was sounded out as a potential investor, but which did not lead any further than that.’

Mr Clements’ claim for unlawful misuse use of a business plan was dismissed.

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