Ev Bravado and Tela D’Amore do not place themselves in the box of “streetwear designers,” and prefer to inhabit the space of their ancestors’ greatest imaginations. Bravado and D’Amore blaze a trail for people of common narratives to make bigger impacts. Their Who Decides War brand reveals the history of America to move the people, the culture, and the world forward.

What streetwear staples have you conceptualized in your designs? How has Who Decides War welcomed everyday people to express themselves in fashion?

Tela: “Let me start with my favorite piece of feedback that I have heard ever. I have been told that people feel like characters when they wear Who Decides War; it is like armor that allows them to step into a different form of who they are. I love to make people feel empowered like a superhero. I believe you should feel unique and connected to the garments. If you are going to dress your body in clothing, then you should be conscious about how the brand you are wearing serves a meaningful purpose. It is really important that we create a brand that people can connect with.”

Would you consider your life to be your ancestors’ wildest dreams and manifestations?

Ev: “I come from a long line of seamstresses and tailors. My grandparents on my dad’s side were a seamstress and tailor, my dad and uncle are also tailors. I grew up in a tailor shop with not much glitz and glam. My dad and uncle both came to this country hoping to be designers. As immigrants from the Caribbeans in the early 1990s, they were not walking into design roles or even had the opportunity to have their clothes sold into stores. I have had a ton of conversations with my dad about how extremely proud he is of Tela and me. Our work in fashion goes beyond me, beyond us, beyond what we do. There are decades of dedication behind Who Decides War, our foundation began before we were even here.”

How does Who Decides War align with your morals and values in the light of the fashion industry’s practices?  

Ev: “One of our main focuses is being true to yourself. The name ‘Who Decides War’ is a question for yourself. Through our brand, we are defining Americana through the lens of people of color. It has been a beautiful journey. I have learned that some things are out of my hands, and  I will not stress what I cannot control. At the end of the day, it is all God’s will, I am just walking in his light and I take everything as it is. We have met a lot of cool people along the way. We are happy to be in a place where we can inspire and touch people’s lives. To have a voice in this niche community is amazing.”

In what ways do you feel your idea of design and style has dismantled hypermasculinity in Black culture?

Ev: “We could start with our laced jeans. I believe we are the pioneers. There were no dudes around us wearing lace until we incorporated lace into our denim work. Now, you may see a lot of brands featuring lace with denim. It is great to see people become receptive to lace and denim, especially men, I think it is dope to see it.”

Tela: “Our lace aesthetic is huge. The fabrics and materials we use are very important. I love that we are able to cast guys who are comfortable to play around with make-up for our runway shows. Last season, I provided a brief to explain the make-up was not for a particular woman or man, but instead the make-up was the look for our runway show. It was awesome to see how many guys were open-minded and thought that their make-up was cool and looked bad-a**.  There are amazing guys very present and very prevalent in hyper-masculine spaces and we see that they can break away from those to welcome openness. That energy translates back into their communities and shows there is absolutely nothing wrong with self-expression.”

Ev: “During the funk and disco era, a lot of men from The Isley Brothers to Earth, Wind, and Fire, embraced fluid styles of dress. It is cool to see that fluid influence resurfaced and lives among us.”

How do you feel intertwining stories from the bible has helped create brand values that reach the masses? How does your impact in fashion contribute to the authenticity of streetwear designers?

Ev: “At first, our ideas were super literal. I am a missionary at heart. I try my best to live an upstanding Christian lifestyle but I am not perfect. I realized our messages do not have to be in your face like ‘be righteous or go to hell.’ There is a beauty in subtleness. Beauty is non-denominational; it does not pertain to one religion. Who Decides War is a sign of hope, which is what we really need in our everyday lives.

Tela: “I believe the beauty of streetwear is that it has been loudly referenced while quietly represented. Ev and I have obviously admired street style… Ev was a little Hypebeast Kid in Soho, he took a lot of street style photographs back in the day. It is amazing to be so closely tethered to streetwear but to also be able to transcend the conversation into different facets of fashion. As we step into new spaces, we are holding the doors open for people to come behind us. It is essential that we take advantage of our platform to build new conversations because we know streetwear fashion. What I like to say is we are not streetwear but we are of streetwear.”

Your Your Story Told Your Way Black History Month series celebrates fashion leaders and creators via curated conversations that welcome authenticity and honor brand identities. These conversations steer clear of trauma to encourage fashion leaders to also be a beacon of light.

Photographed by Kendall Bessent at the historic St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, the first parish for Black people, architected by Vertner Woodson Tandy.