Adam Frisby, from Great Yarmouth, stepped down as CEO of In the Style at the end of last year and has now walked away from the online fashion brand entirely.
Mr Frisby founded In the Style in 2013 after leaving school with no qualifications and working at Burger King.
He began by buying dresses using a £1,000 redundancy payment, before selling them on for a profit through social media.
The business has since grown into one of the country’s biggest online fashion brands, promoted by a host of TV stars and influencers.
However Mr Frisby has now left the company, saying his decision is partly down to his morals and values no longer aligning with the firm’s new ownership structure.
Adam Frisby pictured celebrating In The Style being valued at £105m on the stock exchange (Image: Supplied)
“Over the last 11 years I’ve put my all into the business, and I was so very proud of everything it stood for and the good reputation that it had while I was there,” he said.
“The decision to give up my shares and entirely leave the business I love was incredibly difficult, but one I felt I had to make for a better future.
“I tried my very best to make everything work since stepping down as CEO with the new ownership structure, and I think it’s fair to say my morals and values no longer aligned with the company. I felt by staying I would be compromising them.”
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“I stepped down as I felt the business could benefit from a skilled CEO at the helm and I could focus more on the brand role,” he said.
“Unfortunately, after a few months it was clear that wasn’t working out and the board asked me to step back in to get a deal done for the company.
“My priority at the time was making sure the team and the business was ok which was achieved before I then stepped down for a break.”
A Norfolk-born business star
Born in Great Yarmouth, Mr Frisby went to Cliff Park High School, now Cliff Park Ormiston Academy, in Gorleston, but left school at 15 when his family moved to Spain.
Aged 16 he moved back to England alone to live with a friend in Cambridge, taking a job at Burger King.
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Jobs in banking and recruitment in Cambridge and Manchester followed, before his brother suffered a serious accident and Mr Frisby quit work to care for him in Cornwall.
He returned to Manchester to work with a disability charity before the loss of a government contract led to redundancy.
“It was beyond my wildest dreams and something I’ll always be so proud of.
“The last 11 years have been full of incredible highs, but also some difficult times too. I’ve learnt so much and In the Style was genuinely was my proudest life achievement.
“My fondest memory was working with the late Dame Deborah James and raising over £1.8m through the sales of her collection for her charity, BowelBabe Fund.”
“When In the Style started in 2013 influencer marketing was a very new thing,” said Mr Frisby.
“I felt I could work with relatable influencers and bring relatable fashion to our audience. It worked incredibly well and genuinely my favourite collaborations have been the most relatable ones, like Stacey Solomon, Charlotte Crosby and Dani Dyer.”
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Mr Frisby said he is going to take some time off before embarking on a new project early next year.
“I plan to take some time until the end of the year and then at the start of 2025 put my focus into a brand new project,” he said.
“Deciding to leave In the Style has given me a huge fire in my belly to make sure whatever I do next is special, and I’m looking forward to sharing that journey across my socials, as I did with In the Style.”