Why I Walked Away From My £100M Fashion Brand!

We Need To Talk with Paul C. Brunson

FlightStory

Relationships, Society & Culture, Leisure

4.7 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 26 August 2025

⏱️ 98 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Adam Frisby, founder of In The Style, speaks out for the first time about the rise and fall of his £100M fashion empire. From launching with just £1,000 and packing orders in his bedroom, to working with celebrity collaborators like Charlotte Crosby and Stacey Solomon, Adam built one of the UK’s most recognisable fashion brands. But behind the success was a story of hidden scars, resilience, and starting over. In his most personal interview yet, Adam reveals why he walked away from In The Style, the £100 million court case that nearly broke him, and how the pressure of running a public company pushed him to the edge. He opens up about being kicked out of his mum’s house at 15, hiding his sexuality and the shame he carried for years, and the moment he nearly got pulled into a world of crime before choosing a different path. Now, as Adam launches a new fashion brand and prepares to become a dad through surrogacy with his partner Jamie, he reflects on family, identity, and what success really means. Adam shares: ◽ The childhood trauma and rejection he hid for years ◽ How In The Style became a fashion empire - and what went wrong ◽ The £100M court case that left him at rock bottom ◽ Why he surrendered everything to start again ◽ How surrogacy is helping him become the dad he always needed Adam Frisby, We Need to Talk. Follow me here: https://www.instagram.com/needtotalk https://www.tiktok.com/@weneedtotalkpod Follow Adam Here: Instagram: https://g2ul0.app.link/47Ugp7AF2Vb TikTok: https://g2ul0.app.link/ZnoRqBEF2Vb (00:00) Intro (01:59) What Was Adam's Childhood Like and How Did It Shape Him? (03:23) Adam's Experience of Moving to Spain at 13 (08:05) How Adam Navigated His Sexuality as a Teenager (10:26) Adam's Experience of Being Kicked Out of His Mum's House at 15 (15:16) How Adam Came Out to His Family (17:42) Moving Out of His Dad's House at 16 (19:53) Adam's First Jobs and His Journey to Entrepreneurship (21:30) How Adam Started In The Style (25:26) How In The Style Grew and Its First Celebrity Collaborations (31:30) A Message from Charlotte Crosby (35:20) How Successful Was 'In The Style' Initially? (41:45) In The Style Becoming a Public Company (44:59) Treatwell Ad (46:13) Tinder Ad (47:27) What Were the Causes for the Decline of In The Style? (54:24) Adam's Mental and Physical Health During the Turbulent End of His Time at In The Style (01:01:27) The End of In The Style (01:08:59) Adam's Relationship with His Partner Jamie (01:11:42) A Letter from Jamie (01:14:56) Adam and Jamie's Experience of Having a Baby Through Surrogacy (01:26:55) Social Media Reaction to Adam and Jamie's Baby News (01:29:20) Adam's New Business (01:31:03) Most Memorable Conversation (01:34:19) Paul's Takeaways (01:35:58) Love Better Tour Ad Sponsored By: Treatwell: http://Treatwell.co.uk with code PAUL20 - T&Cs apply Tinder: https://tinder.com/en-GB Get Your Tickets to the Love Better Tour: https://bit.ly/lovebetter-YT SyncID MB01OC25C1FD8VV Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	When I was around 16, my dad was into criminal things, drugs, the house would get raided.
0:05.6	This isn't how I wanted it to be.
0:07.3	So I started in the style and the business was valued at £100 million.
0:13.6	Post-COVID, there was less interest around fashion businesses.
0:17.2	Boohoo, ASOS, starting to decline.
0:19.1	The team at the time, they were kind of like,
0:25.0	we're going to have to possibly shut down, but I thought, I can't let this slip away now.
0:30.5	And then we broke on the stock market. I did become a millionaire, but the reality was everything changed. I've never really spoken in detail about it. I got a legal letter for the first time
0:35.0	with Sue and Adam Frisbee for 100 million pounds because he stole this idea from this guy. Although I was ultimately the heart of the business, I didn't have a say. People were crying down the phone to me saying, Adam, we're not being paid. I looked online and I saw it at the business being sold. I loved it so much. And I hoped that I would always be part of it. But in the end, I sent a letter of resignation. I surrendered all of so much and I hope that I would always be part of it but in the end I sent a letter
0:54.6	resignation.
0:55.6	I surrendered all of my shares and I left and I never heard back ever.
1:02.8	I can see that everything that's happened in your life has led you to this point.
1:09.2	You're going to be a dead?
1:10.2	And we're bringing a child into the world
1:11.3	that is going to have so much love.
1:12.7	My biggest fear in life is that I'm not a good dad.
1:15.3	You both will be winning father of the year consistently.
1:18.5	I have no doubt.
1:21.9	A quick one for me before we get into it.
1:23.9	I want to say thank you, genuinely thank you.
1:26.9	It means so much that you're here. The team and I
1:29.2	put a lot into these conversations and seeing how much they're resonating is really amazing to see.
	...

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