We’re looking forward to introducing you to Melissa Mercedes. Check out our conversation below.
Melissa, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about your customers?
The most surprising thing I learned is how deeply my customers needed to feel seen — not just dressed. So many of them came in having spent years avoiding mirrors or hiding their bodies. What surprised me was that the studio itself became part of the healing. The space, the lighting, the way we treat people when they walk in — it all matters just as much as the clothes.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Melissa Mercedes. I’m a luxury fashion designer based in Los Angeles. My journey into fashion wasn’t just about creating beautiful clothes — it was about creating a space where women could finally feel celebrated.
I opened Noir, a wardrobe and content creation studio in downtown Los Angeles, alongside my business partners Isa Gates, Joy Bullard, and Jamar Hart. Together, we wanted to build more than a brand — we wanted to build a home for women who have been overlooked by the fashion industry for far too long.
What makes Noir special is that it’s not just a showroom — it’s an experience. From the moment you walk in, you are seen, styled, and celebrated. The Melissa Mercedes brand lives inside of Noir, and while we welcome every woman, we are intentional about ensuring that curvy and plus size women are always celebrated, always accommodated, and never an afterthought.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
The women who taught me the most about work were right in my house. My grandmother, my mother, my sister — they never missed a day. They were raising families, holding everything together, and still showing up every single day with everything they had. I watched that my whole life and it shaped me in ways I can’t even fully put into words. That’s where I come from and that’s what drives me. I carry them with me in everything I do. And my biggest hope is that one day my daughter looks at me the same way I looked at them — and knows that she can do the same.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me that I am stronger than I ever gave myself credit for. You don’t know what you’re made of until life forces you to find out. I’ve been through a divorce. I was in New York on September 11th — and that day hit closer to home for me than most people will ever know. That experience changed something in me permanently. It taught me that life is fragile and that nothing is guaranteed. And then last year I broke my arm — which sounds small compared to everything else but it broke me in a different way. I am someone who never stops. I don’t ask for help. I just go. And suddenly I couldn’t. I had to sit still. I had to let people in. I had to depend on others when that is one of the hardest things for me to do. That taught me something success never could — that slowing down doesn’t mean stopping, and that letting people help you isn’t weakness, it’s wisdom. Success confirmed me. But it was never the teacher that pain was.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
Plus size women have been overlooked, underserved and made to feel like fashion wasn’t meant for them. And I know that feeling personally. I lived it. I am plus size. I am a designer. And for a long time even I had to fight to take up space in an industry that was supposed to be about creativity and expression for everyone. That is exactly why Isa Gates, Joy Bullard, Jamar Hart and I built Noir. Not because it was trendy. Not because plus size was having a moment. But because we felt the gap and we refused to let it stay that way. When a woman walks into our studio and tries on something that was made with her body in mind — not altered for her, not adjusted for her, but actually designed for her — something changes in her. I have seen it with my own eyes. That is what we are doing. That is what this is about. We have always been here. We have always been enough. And I am not stopping until every plus size woman knows that.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
What I understand deeply is that plus size women have always been trendsetters, culture shapers, and powerful consumers — long before the industry decided to pay attention. The fashion world didn’t create that power. It just ignored it.
And here’s what most people miss: when you exclude a body type from fashion and creative spaces, you’re not just leaving money on the table — you’re leaving people out of the story. You’re telling an entire group of women that they don’t belong in the narrative.
At Studio Noir LA, we made a different choice. We don’t just include plus size women — we center them. And what we’ve found is that when you build a space where the most excluded woman feels seen, celebrated, and powerful — everybody wins. That’s the future of fashion. And we’re not waiting for the industry to catch up.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.melissa-mercedes.com
- Instagram: @melissamercedesofficial
Image Credits
Studio Images by Cade Costic Photography
Image with models photography by Cecile Boko:
Models: Arissa LeBrock, Erica Lauren, Cnenecole
