In The Style was one of the Manchester-rooted brands that defined the influencer-led fashion era of the 2010s. Founded by Adam Frisby in 2013, the brand built its identity around influencer collaborations and social media marketing. The business was restructured significantly in 2023 after listing and delisting from AIM. The brand’s place in Manchester fashion is a useful case study in influencer fashion economics and the limits of the model.
The Founding
Adam Frisby’s story
Adam Frisby founded In The Style in Manchester in 2013, at age 23. The launch coincided with the early growth of Instagram fashion influencer culture and the brand was built explicitly around influencer collaborations from launch.
Manchester base
In The Style was Manchester-headquartered from launch, sitting alongside Boohoo and PrettyLittleThing in the Manchester fast-fashion ecosystem. The brand benefited from the same Manchester clothing trade infrastructure and supplier networks.
The influencer-first model
Where Boohoo built brand recognition through scale and PLT through celebrity, In The Style went specifically after the influencer collaboration model. Reality TV stars, Instagram influencers, and social media personalities became collaborators and effective ambassadors for capsule collections.
The Growth
The reality TV partnerships
In The Style built strong relationships with Love Island, Made in Chelsea, TOWIE and similar reality TV personalities. Capsule collections with reality stars drove significant sales spikes around show seasons.
The 2021 IPO
In The Style listed on AIM in 2021, with a market valuation around £105 million. The IPO represented the peak of the influencer fashion model’s commercial credibility.
Manchester employment
At its peak, In The Style employed several hundred Manchester-based staff across design, buying, marketing, technology and operations. The brand was a significant Manchester fashion employer.
The Decline
The post-pandemic challenges
Like other fast fashion brands, In The Style faced post-pandemic headwinds including reduced occasion-wear demand, rising returns rates, and changing customer preferences.
The competitive pressure
Shein and Temu’s rise from 2022 onwards put competitive pressure on UK fast fashion brands generally. In The Style, with smaller scale than Boohoo or PLT, was particularly exposed.
The 2023 restructuring
In The Style entered restructuring in 2023, delisted from AIM, and emerged in modified form. The brand continues to operate but at significantly smaller scale than at the IPO peak.
The Brand Aesthetic
Occasion and going-out heavy
In The Style’s product mix has skewed heavily toward occasion wear, going-out wear, and trend-driven items. The reality TV influencer aesthetic shapes the product.
Influencer-led drops
The brand’s primary marketing has been influencer collaborations rather than traditional brand identity work. Each major drop has been built around a personality.
Younger demographic
The customer base has skewed younger than Boohoo’s, more aligned with PLT’s demographic.
What In The Style Did Well
Influencer relationships
In The Style built genuinely close working relationships with reality TV personalities and influencers. The collaborations felt more authentic than typical influencer marketing.
Speed-to-market for trend
The brand could move from cultural moment (a Love Island scene, a viral TikTok) to product on the website faster than larger competitors.
The Manchester operations
In The Style built proper Manchester operations including in-house design, photography, marketing – not just a logistics shell.
What Limited the Brand
The dependency on personalities
Heavy dependency on individual influencers meant capsule collection success was tied to the influencer’s continued popularity. The model was fragile.
The scale challenge
Competing with Boohoo and PLT (much larger scale, more efficient operations) was difficult on the same fast-fashion economics.
The sustainability questions
Like other fast fashion brands, In The Style faced criticism on environmental and labour standards. The smaller scale meant less budget for sustainability initiatives.
The international competition
Shein and Temu’s ultra-fast-fashion model out-priced In The Style on the influencer-driven trend pieces that had been the brand’s core.
The Current State
Smaller-scale operation
In The Style continues to operate post-restructuring at significantly smaller scale than at the 2021 peak.
The Manchester legacy
Even in restructured form, In The Style remains part of the Manchester fast-fashion story alongside Boohoo Group brands.
Where to buy
inthestyle.com is the primary channel. Limited high street presence.
Why In The Style Matters for Manchester
The influencer fashion case study
In The Style’s trajectory (rapid rise on the influencer model, IPO peak, restructuring) is a case study in influencer fashion economics. The lessons matter for Manchester’s wider fast-fashion ecosystem.
The Manchester fast-fashion concentration
In The Style’s existence (alongside Boohoo Group, ASOS Manchester operations, and others) made Manchester one of the largest single-city fast-fashion centres in Europe. The concentration matters even as individual brands face challenges.
The talent pipeline
In The Style trained significant numbers of Manchester-based fashion business professionals who have moved to other Manchester fashion businesses. The talent legacy outlasts the brand’s commercial peak.
The cautionary tale
For founders considering Manchester fast-fashion brand launches, In The Style’s trajectory carries lessons about scale, dependency on individual personalities, and the limits of the influencer model.
→ Boohoo
