“In 2012, they didn’t have[industrial coveralls]for women,” Glas said. “You only wore the men’s size small.”
The work overalls never fitted Glas properly, so she decided to make her own.
“Who are you wearing?” is a question usually reserved for red carpet celebrities. These days, Kim Mulkey, head coach of LSU women’s basketball, gets the request. The answer is often Queen of Sparkles, led by Jaime Glas, a Baton Rouge-based fashion designer.
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After her boss approved her tailored suit, other women noticed him and wanted to buy one. In 2018 she left her job as an engineer and developed her first company, HauteWork, a women’s FR clothing company. The next year, National Safety Apparel acquired HauteWork from Glas.
Between 2018 and 2020, Glas began testing “regular” apparel products, with an emphasis on bright, fun pieces — not just fireproof suits. She founded Sparkle City in Louisiana with Margo Sanders Cory. Sparkle City has been selling glittery game day clothing and masks during the pandemic.
After Glas and Cory couldn’t agree on a future plan after the first few months of COVID-19, Glas decided to split up and form Queen of Sparkles. As is often the case when company co-founders go their separate ways, Glas and Cory ended up in a Sparks legal battle that was settled in 2021 when Cory bought out Glas’ share of her inventory and her half of the company.
“This whole process has been really tough for me personally,” Glas said. “But to see now where we’ve gotten, I never thought I’d be here.”
Glas said the creation and success of Sparkle City proved that there was a market for these bold and unique garments.
Jaime Glas, Jennifer Cabrera, Kim Mulkey and Ivan Cabrera pose for a picture at an LSU women’s basketball fundraiser at the Supper Club.
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Now Queen of Sparkles, which has 101,000 followers on Instagram, ships clothes to 1,200 stores in 25 states across the country. Sparkle City has 22,000 Instagram followers and still focuses on game day and holiday fashion.
Glas says clothing has always been paramount to her, with her outfits serving as armor to the world. Aside from the success she’s achieved in two years with Queen of Sparkles, Glas says this unexpected opportunity with Mulkey was a game changer.
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