International fashion brand H&M has teamed up with the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat and luxury streetwear brand Who Decides War to launch a new clothing line. Unveiled in Paris on June 19, the collection celebrates Basquiat’s influence on contemporary culture. The collection was designed by Who Decides War designers Ev Bravado and Téla D’Amore and will be available in H&M stores worldwide from July 18.
Founded in 2018, Who Decides War is known for its Black American aesthetic and high-profile fans, including rapper Ice Spice and the late designer Virgil Abloh. In working with the Basquiat estate, Bravado and D’Amore chose to avoid using the artist’s signature motifs, such as crowns and dinosaurs. Instead, they focused on lesser-known elements of his work.
“We really wanted to present it in a way that spoke to the experiences of black artists,” Bravado told Fashion in a recent interview. “When I look at a lot of other pieces that people have worked with legacies, we always see the same thing. But it’s like, ‘Okay, here’s probably the most famous 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 can continue to influence and continue to advance black art and culture.’”
The collaboration was inspired by Basquiat’s 2022 Los Angeles exhibition “King Pleasure,” which featured more than 200 rarely seen paintings, drawings, and memorabilia, for which the estate partnered with several brands, including Who Decides War, to lay the groundwork for this new project.
