Asos co-founder dies in fall from 18-storey building in Thailand

Quentin Griffiths, the co-founder of the online fashion retailer Asos, has died after falling from an apartment building in the Thai resort city of Pattaya.An unnamed police investigator told the BBC that officers were called on 9 February after a man was found dead, having fallen from an 18-storey condominium in Pattaya, on Thailand’s eastern Gulf coast.Griffiths, a 58-year-old British passport holder, was alone at the time, the investigator said, and an autopsy found no indication of foul play. There was also no sign of a break-in.The retail entrepreneur co-founded Asos in London in 2000 with Nick Robertson, the great-grandson of the eponymous founder of the suit retailer Austin Reed. The business launched with the name As Seen on Screen, before switching to the Asos acronym in 2002. It grew to become one of the world’s largest online fashion retailers, with its designs worn by Rihanna and Michelle Obama. Griffiths left the company in 2005. He later pursued several other ventures, co-founding the online furniture store Achica, the music-focused fashion retailer EBTM, and Adili, an ethical clothing website. EBTM later went into administration, while Adili was sold for a nominal £1.Thai police told the BBC that Griffiths had been involved in two court cases, which may have caused him stress.