The Night I Designed It – Story Behind The Afterglow Anthem
Some jackets are born in studios. But not this one.
This was born on a cold November night in Los Angeles, during a live performance at The Echo on Sunset Blvd. CHIKA a fearless, plus-size icon was on stage, wrapped in rhythm, power, and self-love. Her voice shook the floor. Her presence was magnetic. The energy? Electric.
I wasn’t just there as a fan. I was there as a plus-size fashion designer.
And as a woman who knows what it feels like to want to disappear… and choose not to.
That’s when I saw her.
She was sitting alone in the corner, a beautiful woman, probably wearing a 3X size, looking like she wanted to melt into the wall. While everyone else was dancing and living loud, she looked crushed under the weight of unwanted stares.
I sat beside her. She looked at me and said something I’ll never forget:
“I came here to feel free… but everyone’s eyes are telling me I don’t belong.”
That moment broke something in me. And lit something else on fire.
No words could undo how she felt but maybe… just maybe… fashion could fight back.
My design professor once told me,
“Clothing can’t heal, but it can armor.”
That night, those words came back.
I went home, opened my sketchbook, and started sketching for her.
Not just a plus size party jacket but something she could wear like a declaration.
Studded like her spirit.
Lined in hot pink like her hidden fire.
Structured to celebrate her curves not fight them.
I designed this for the next time she walks into a concert, a rooftop party, or a club and doesn’t shrink back.
Instead, the room shifts. The music bends toward her. Eyes land differently.
This is that Plus Size Studded Leather Jacket.
The kind that tells the world:
“I’m not just here to party.
I am the party.”
