Exclusive: Hypebae Sits Down With Tela D'Amore of Who Decides War
The designer discusses building a legacy, while overcoming imposter syndrome.
“Our families, our communities and those coming up after us” are at the heart of Who Decides War as co-founder and designer Tela D’Amore stresses the importance of creating for future generations.
The streetwear but not streetwear brand resists stereotyping, redefining American fashion through a distinctly diverse lens, challenging the industry to do the same. Who Decides War reimagines denim staples, creating timeless pieces that are simultaneously contemporary in their unapologetically bold tailoring and silhouettes.
“Anyone who knows me knows anything and everything I do is for Judah. I am actively creating resources for him that I didn’t have access to as a child, a young creative and eventual business owner. That feeling is beyond anything I can sum up into words,” she continues. This unwavering dedication pushes the New York outpost forward. Coming from a lineage of WWII lieutenants and tailors, Who Decides War strives to add to its rich history, grounding itself in an ethos that favors expert craftsmanship and thoughtful design.
D’Amore’s deserved ascent was not without obstacles as she came up against obstacles, working in menswear. “As the brand grew, I found myself in new spaces with highly influential people in their respective fields, struggling to understand how I could be here too.” Eventually, D’Amore found her footing and her voice, carving out a path by trusting herself.
Continue scrolling to read Tela’s full interview with Hypebae below.
Elle Johnson
What inspired you to start Who Decides War? What gap were you and your partner Ev Bravado striving to fill?
I sought to erase the stigma surrounding a designer of color being pigeonholed into the ‘streetwear designer’ category. The ‘urban’ designer category, because what even is that. We began creating garments at a more technical, refined and detailed level than ever before. We created a lens focused on classic American uniforms as interpreted by people of color.
Who and what are your greatest sources of inspiration?
Our families, our communities and those coming up after us. My grandfather was a First Lieutenant in WWII, so a lot of what I create stems from those militant roots, as well as the brand name and the textiles we use – denim, recycled army surplus, parachutes, leather. Ev was raised in a tailor shop observing his fathe’s craftsmanship for years, so we have always honed in on perfecting shapes and silhouettes.
My son, Judah. Anyone who knows me knows anything and everything I do is for Judah. I am actively creating resources for him that I didn’t have access to as a child, a young creative and eventual business owner. That feeling is beyond anything I can sum up into words. My five siblings inspire me –they are all incredibly talented, intelligent and way cooler than me, so I work exponentially harder for them, too.
Madison Voelkel/Bfa.com
As a highly visible woman of color in the world of fashion, can you speak to the importance of taking up and reclaiming your space? Do you feel that there is an ancestral push to create?
This is a great question, not only because I am woman of color in fashion, but I also chose to focus on menswear, so I operate in overtly male-dominated spaces. As the brand grew, I found myself in new spaces with highly influential people in their respective fields, struggling to understand how I could be here too.
A type of imposter syndrome emerged in part from being frequently interrupted and talked over by often white men in these spaces. However, I have since learned to trust myself and the amount of work that goes into building our brand and pieces, which inevitably stand toe-to-toe with what’s created by these same people that tried to limit the space I took up. So that’s why I make it a point to be seen, heard and respected because I know how hard I’ve worked. I feel like this year more than ever is my year of empowering all types of women right alongside me.
The brand name Who Decides War instantly brings up a lot of visceral images. As a brand that specifically focuses on people of color, what messages are you trying to convey through your collections?
That’s why we chose the name. Because I’m not sure it raises visceral images for everyone. For some, it is a reflection, for some it is a conversation. The answer is not necessarily for Ev or myself to define. We look to convey those same feelings of reflection, conversation and possible disruption through each item we create.
What do you hope people take away from this past collection?
Something that hasn’t really been questioned or mentioned is why we put womenswear pieces down the runway without any motifs or obvious branding on them. This was intentional. We were showing everyone the next conversation; the silhouette is what we want people to digest first, before we elaborate with branding, embroidery and other signature embellishments. These silhouettes are here to stay.
