International fashion brand H&M has launched a new clothing line in collaboration with the estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat and the luxury streetwear brand Who Decides War. Unveiled on June 19th in Paris, the collection intends to celebrate Basquiat’s impact on contemporary culture. It is being helmed by Who Decides War designers Ev Bravado and Téla D’Amore, and will be available at H&M stores worldwide starting on July 18th.
Founded in 2018, Who Decides War is known for its Black Americana aesthetic and high-profile fans, including the rapper Ice Spice and the late designer Virgil Abloh. In approaching their collaboration with the Basquiat estate, Bravado and D’Amore chose to refrain from using the artist’s signature motifs, like crowns and dinosaurs. Instead, they focused on lesser-known elements of his practice.
“We really wanted to take it in a way that spoke about the Black artists’ experience,” Bravado told Vogue in a recent interview. “When I see a lot of the other collabs that people have done with the estate, we always see the same things. But it’s like, ‘Okay, here’s a man who’s probably the most renowned artist of all time, let’s tell the story of the people who influenced him, and how we were influenced by him, and how we will continue to influence and continue to push forward Black art and culture.’”
The collaboration was inspired by “King Pleasure,” the 2022 exhibition organized by the Basquiat estate in Los Angeles, which showcased over 200 rarely seen paintings, drawings, and articles of ephemera. For the exhibition, the Basquiat estate partnered with various brands, including Who Decides War, setting the state for this new venture.
