Who Decides War Ascended to New Heights During New York Fashion Week

Who Decides War has leveled up yet again.

Since 2019, Ev Bravado and Tela D’Amore’s brand has been one of the most anticipated shows on the New York Fashion Week calendar. This past weekend was no different. The brand presented its 10th collection at the Hall des Lumières in Lower Manhattan. Notable attendees included Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, YG, Lola Brooke, NLE Choppa, and Liz Cambage.

For Who Decides War’s latest step forward, it looked to the past for inspiration. The Spring/Summer 2025 collection heavily referenced Victorian fashion of the 1800s. It was a new direction in comparison to the street-influenced outerwear and graphic-heavy denim that has helped the brand cultivate a loyal following. Womenswear was also a focal point of the show. The result was the most avant-garde and experimental delivery we have seen from WDW to date.

Looks featured lace corsets with billowing black dresses, sheer white gowns paired with matching elbow-high gloves, and bralette-and-skirt sets that played with Who Decide War’s signature distressing. Military-inspired jackets were adorned with dangling straps. One of the highlights was a strapless dress constructed entirely of black leather belts, reminiscent of the grail-level H&M x Margiela belt jacket. The brand’s take on a wedding gown with a structured, distressed denim skirt, flowy floor-length ribbons, and a lace du-rag veil with a full-length train made for one of the most memorable looks of the show.

“The whole direction of the show is really about ascension,” D’Amore tells Complex. “It’s the most elevated collection we’ve ever done and it’s also the most developed collection we’ve ever had. We’ve been pigeonholed and now we’re coming into this era of our lives where it’s undeniable.”

On the men’s side, the brand recontextualized some of its signature codes to create modern suiting. Blazers featured cut-outs shaped like the stained glass window panes that normally populate its jeans and jackets. The same paneling was also used on leather pants and a plaid set with a unique orange dye treatment and red embellishments. Snow camo shorts were transformed with floral lace overlays. A deconstructed knit sweater worn by Alton Mason to open the show was another highlight.

The brand also gave its fans something more on par with past collections. While they felt a bit disjointed from the overall theme of the show, a collaboration with Pelle Pelle brought some of the most striking items to the runway. Cream and brown leather jackets featured a Mt. Rushmore of iconic Black figures such as Barack Obama, Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. across the back. Other styles accentuated black leather with multicolored stitching that drew out the New York skyline and landmarks like the Statue of Liberty. Pelle Pelle is an iconic piece of New York City’s fashion history that has re-entered the zeitgeist in recent months, thanks in large part to acts like Playboi Carti. For Who Decides War, a brand so heavily intertwined with the five boroughs, the partnership was an important one.

“To have that moment to collaborate directly with them and pay homage to their archival stuff instead of referencing what they do, it just means the world,” says Bravado. “That’s what I grew up on. I grew up on hip-hop culture, 106 & Park, Rap City, all these things. It’s something that I don’t take for granted because I know how these clothes made us feel when we were younger.”

Who Decides War continued to lean into its strong New York City roots by tapping scorching hot rapper/producer Cash Cobain to compose an original score for the show. The Bronx native was accompanied by a student orchestra from the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts.

The brand also showcased a series of new sneaker collaborations with Jordan Brand: a black suede pair of the new Jordan Flight Court by D’Amore, and a version of the Air Jordan 1 created exclusively for the show with royal blue paneling and lace details. On the accessories side, a series of boxy bags with tonal lace-up facades also hit the runway in various sizes and colors.

Along with a packed runway show, Who Decides War put its stamp on New York Fashion Week through a partnership with Complex for a two-day exhibition. The space showcased various looks to help tell the story of Bravado and D’Amore’s past five years in business that ranged from WDW’s collaboration with the Ruff Ryders to a pistachio-colored Pelle Pelle jacket. Hundreds of fans lined up down and around the block on both days for a chance to be a part of the experience, which also included a live taping of a panel talk with Idea Generation, an immersive live-stream of WDW’s runway shows, and a surprise performance by Cash Cobain to close everything out.

“We don’t really take the time to look back because we’re always looking for the next thing,” says Bravado. “To take a step back and be like, ‘Okay, we did this.’ There’s a sense of pride.”

At the exhibition, Bravado noted the pieces from his 2019 collaboration with Virgil Abloh’s Off-White as the standouts from the display. “I have to pay respect because without him paving the way for people like me, I wouldn’t be here,” he says.

Who Decides War’s jam-packed weekend is the latest in what has already been an impressive year for Bravado and D’Amore. In August 2024, they released a capsule collection with H&M that featured Basquiat’s artwork. Right before September New York Fashion Week, Ev Bravado revealed D’Amore’s Jordan sneaker collab. The duo has been able to strike the balance between leveraging big corporate partnerships to grow the brand, while still maintaining their unique perspective.

“If I sit down with you and we’re not vibing, the partnership cannot continue,” says D’Amore. “We walked away from a lot of large opportunities as a result. We watch our peers struggle with other partnerships and a lot of times it’s things that could have been avoided from the start.”

With Spring/Summer 2025 New York Fashion Week in the books, Who Decides War has solidified itself as not only one of the city’s most celebrated labels, but also one of the most exciting young brands in fashion today.

See more of Complex’s exclusive look at the brand’s runway and backstage below.