In The Style founder accused of ‘stealing’ business idea

Founder of fast fashion e-tailer Adam Frisby could be facing a lawsuit by a businessman that claimed Frisby copied his idea to create the fast fashion brand.

The retailer, which is worth over 100 million pounds, was founded by Frisby in 2013, who was said to have initially used redundancy money to launch the business.

Now, businessman Paul Clements is set to take Frisby to the UK High Court, claiming that he stole the name and the brand’s concept from him.

According to The Telegraph, Clements said that he had told Frisby his plans for the business and put up his own start-up money to test the brand, which Frisby allegedly “took advantage” of to set up his own company.

Frisby has defended himself calling the claim “fraudulent”, stating that he had developed the brand “without any input or involvement of Clements”.

However, Clements alleges that after providing 10,330 pounds to invest in buying apparel from suppliers and creating a website, Frisby “falsely or wrongly” told him that “the business plan had no future”.

Since its founding, In The Style has cemented its place in the industry through notable celebrity and influencer endorsements and collaborations, making Frisby an approximate 35 million pounds.

Clements is seeking a declaration that Frisby held his interest in In The Style on trust for Clements, as well as an account of profits, compensation and damages for breach of contract.

A full trial of the case is set to be heard at a later date.