Melly Adkins is the mind and heart behind Merci Dema, a New York-based brand rooted in emotional storytelling, intentional design, and vulnerable luxury. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Melly’s journey has been anything but linear—and that’s precisely what makes his work so dynamic. After earning a B.A. in Legal Studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Melly went on to receive both a J.D. and an LL.M in Entertainment, Art, and Sports Law from the University of Miami School of Law. After practicing law, a car ride with his sister helped him start a spiritual journey that led him to starting his fashion brand Merci Dema. Fueled by a deep appreciation for people, music, food, sports, travel, and pop culture, Merci Dema folds lived experience into design, exploring what it means to feel, to fall, to remember, and to rise. Now based in NYC at 35, Melly is fully leaning into his creative aspirations, merging legal precision with emotional expression. Whether through a tear-shaped logo or a hoodie turned tote bag, Merci Dema makes space for truth, style, and storytelling—with designs that don’t just say something, they feel something.
In this episode, we talk about starting Merci Dema after years of being an attorney, the one question his sister asked him that made him change his career, his spiritual and emotional journey, believing in himself, how travel inspires him, the intention behind all his pieces, his design process, why his clothing is looser fit, the balance between utility and non-utilitiy in his clothing, what “vulnerable luxury” means, and more.
Follow Merci Dema on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/merci_dema/
Follow Melly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mel_ice4/
Merci Dema’s website: https://mercidema.com/
Subscribe to Version 1's substack: version1podcast.substack.com/
Follow Version 1 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/version1podcast/
Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/waverlycolville
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.