The Queen Energy: Big Curves, Bold Colours and Main-Character Energy
Sometimes, all she needs is a fabulous dress, a little attitude and the confidence to take up space! 👑✨
Welcome to Queen Energy, the collection that celebrates plus-size women, fearless femininity and the magic that happens when African heritage meets vintage glamour. Queen Energy was inspired by the unapologetic glamour of the 1960s and 1970s, the vibrancy of African prints and a personal desire to see curvy women celebrated in fashion.
Growing up as a plus-size girl in Nigeria, I knew what it felt like to struggle to find clothes that reflected my personality. I wanted to create something different: fashion that did not ask women to hide their curves, tone down their personalities or wait until they fitted somebody else’s idea of beauty.
Queen Energy was my reminder that plus-size women deserve the drama, the colour, the beautiful silhouettes and the fashion moments, too!
Manchester, we came to serve!
In 2025, Queen Energy took to the runway at Afro Fashion Show Manchester, held at Hilton Deansgate in Manchester. The event brought together designers, models, creatives and fashion lovers to celebrate African fashion and contemporary cultural expression.
For MBW FashionAddict, it was an opportunity to share a collection that places curvy women at the centre of the fashion conversation. The runway became a celebration of colour, movement, heritage and confidence, with every look carrying its own personality.
And the best part? Two pieces were purchased immediately after the showcase! Because when a woman sees a piece that speaks to her, sometimes the answer is simply, “Where do I pay?”
Meet the Queens: The Looks
The collection featured eight looks, each exploring a different side of feminine confidence. From playful minis to dramatic gowns, the designs brought together vintage inspiration, African vibrancy and contemporary silhouettes.
1. The Cut out Dress - Vintage Queen Energy
Think vintage glamour, a warp dress with the kind of entrance that makes people turn around for a second look!
Inspired by the joyful silhouettes of the 1960s, this look celebrated movement and timeless femininity. Its circular design brought a sense of fun and drama, proving that dressing curves can be playful, expressive and full of personality.
This is for the woman who believes that life is too short not to twirl in a beautiful dress.
2. The Cut out 2-Piece - A Royal Fusion
Regal with a playful twist
A fitted, corset-inspired cut out bodice in warm, earthy prints is paired with a long, sheer-looking pleated orange skirt. The contrast between the structured upper section and the flowing lower layer creates an elegant balance of texture and movement.
It celebrated the woman who is bold and not afraid to be different. This look takes a familiar silhouette and gives it a dramatic, occasion-ready finish.
3. The Adire Ofi Dress - Sweet with a Little Sass
Who said elegance has to be serious?
The Playful Contrast Mini explored the fun side of fashion through a bold combination of Aso-oke and Adire. Its youthful silhouette and contrasting patterns brought a lively energy to the collection.
It celebrated the woman who can be playful and sophisticated at the same time, who loves a little fashion risk and isn’t afraid to let her outfit do the talking.
4. The Ofi Dress - Tradition with a Twist
African heritage meets contemporary attitude.
This fitted royal-blue Aso-oke mini dress celebrates simplicity with a striking pop of gold at the hem. The clean shape allows the rich blue to take centre stage, while the pleated golden detail introduces texture and a subtle flash of glamour. It reflected the collection’s wider approach to African-inspired design: drawing from cultural identity while creating something fresh, modern and wearable.
This look was for the woman who honours where she comes from but isn’t afraid to write her own fashion story.
5. The Midi Dress - Drama, Darling!
If Queen Energy had a red-carpet moment, this would be it!
A vibrant orange Batik dress featuring bold circular prints and a contrasting geometric waistband that cinches the waist beautifully. The full, flared skirt accentuates the hourglass silhouette, celebrating curves with confidence and playful elegance. Its layered styling created an interplay between structure and softness, making the look feel expressive without losing its elegance.
Because sometimes you don’t want to blend into the room. Sometimes you want to arrive and make the room remember you.
6. The top and mini skirt - Understated but Unforgettable
Not every queen needs a dramatic train. Sometimes, a beautifully considered silhouette says everything.
The olive mini skirt brought a more polished simplicity to the collection, balancing the bolder prints and statement waist coat top with a refined look.
It celebrated a different kind of confidence: the woman who knows that she doesn’t have to shout to be noticed.
7. Olive Layered Dress - A Layered Statement
Olive Elegance brought together green stripes, polka-dot details and layered styling to create a look full of texture and personality.
The combination of patterns gave the design a playful visual rhythm, while its layered silhouette added dimension. It was a reminder that fashion can be experimental without losing its sense of elegance.
For the queen who enjoys mixing things up and making unexpected combinations work beautifully, this look was a moment!
8. The Orange Layered Sunset Gown - Going Out with a Glow
Every collection deserves a finale that leaves an impression, and the Layered Sunset Gown brought the drama.
Its vibrant orange colour and flowing, layered silhouette evoked warmth, energy and the beauty of a glowing sunset. It embodied the spirit of Queen Energy: bold, expressive and impossible to ignore.
This was more than a dress. It was a celebration of taking up space, embracing colour and showing up exactly as you are.
The collection comprised eight looks; the descriptions above cover the looks identified by name in the published coverage.
More Than Clothes: A Celebration of Curvy Women
At its heart, Queen Energy was never just about making clothes in larger sizes. It was about making fashion that celebrates plus-size women rather than treating them as an afterthought.
For too long, fashion conversations have often suggested that curvy women should choose between comfort and style, or between flattering clothes and expressive design. I wanted to challenge that idea. Through bold wax prints, distinctive silhouettes, flowing dresses and playful patterns, the collection explored the relationship between identity, culture and confidence. I wanted women to see the clothes and imagine themselves wearing them proudly, whether they were attending a special event, going out with friends or simply choosing to feel fabulous on an ordinary day.
Inclusivity is not about asking women to fit into fashion. It is about creating fashion that makes room for women as they are.
From Manchester to a Bigger Fashion Story
The response to Queen Energy became an important chapter in the journey of MBW FashionAddict. The collection was covered by publications including Manchester Times, Tribune Online and Vanguard Allure, extending its story beyond the runway.
The Manchester showcase also formed part of my continuing journey as a designer working to bring African-inspired fashion, contemporary design and plus-size representation into wider fashion conversations. Every collection teaches me something new. Queen Energy reminded me that confidence can be playful, heritage can be modern, and a woman can be powerful without having to change a single thing about who she is.
To every curvy woman reading this: wear the colour. Choose the bold print. Try the silhouette you’ve been admiring. Take the photograph. Walk into the room like you belong there, because you do. You don’t need permission to feel beautiful. You don’t need to wait until you lose weight. And you certainly don’t need to shrink your personality to fit somebody else’s expectations.
Your curves are not a limitation. Your style is not a privilege reserved for someone else.
You are the moment. You are the statement. You are the Queen.
1. Manchester Times
Written by
Temiloluwa Fagbemi
Founder of MBW FashionAddict