Who Decides War Deconstructs its Deconstructed Met Gala Tailoring
The Met Gala, as New York-based designer Tela D’Amore describes it, is fashion’s “big leagues.” And a big league debut means many late nights spent perfecting every little detail for the Met Gala looks that D'Amore is creating for actress Regina King and two-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Jazmine Sullivan.
“Every last technique we’ve developed and worked on intensely for the last seven, eight years is now coming into play here,” D’Amore, co-founder of fashion label Who Decides War, tells Highsnobiety during her painstaking preparations. “We’re really focused… It’s a focus unlike ever before, and we’re committed to each and every look we’re creating.”
The 2025 Met Gala may be the first time that D'Amore's work hits the red carpet but it's not the only place you'll be able to see it.
Inside The Costume Institute’s Spring 2025 exhibition, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, lies a wool twill suit with an exposed polyester lining and horsehair detailing from Who Decides War’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection.
The generous black suit, with its inner workings exposed by raw-hemmed paneling, is a reflection of how the brand rethinks the construction of conventional clothing. Or, rather, the deconstruction.
“Everything we do is deconstruction, reconstruction, and deconstruction again,” says Ev Bravado, the other half of the duo behind Who Decides War.
For King, the actress, D'Amore created a look with a sculptural wrap that encircles the head, acting as a built-in hood.
Sullivan’s interwoven lace organza silk suit, meanwhile, is demarcated by the trousers' layered drape.
“We want people to feel empowered. That was the goal, to display beauty at its finest with these two beautiful Black women,” says Bravado.
And that's not all. D'Amore also designed an afterparty outfit for 2025 Met Gala hostess LaLa Anthony, someone D’Amore considers a mentor: A leather dress shaped from a mass of belts.
“It’s definitely a hot little number,” laughs D’Amore.
Fresh from presenting an LMVH Prize nomination and its tenth-anniversary collection, presented at New York Fashion Week, Who Decides War could really consider these Met moments just another highwater mark.
Established as a purveyor of detailed and imminently distressed ready-to-wear, the independent clothing line has slowly expanded its tailoring and dressmaking focus over the past few years. This is the culmination of those efforts.
Says Bravado, these looks are "the highest [quality] product we’ve ever made."