Fashion Police | How New York's First Lady Rama Duwaji made a style statement in a coat by Palestinian-Lebanese designer at Zohran Mamdani's inauguration

The First Lady of New York opted for a coat by Palestinian-Lebanese designer Cynthia Merhej and her brand Renaissance. The coat was made in Beirut based on a design from the brand’s autumn/winter 2023 collection

Zohran Mamdani’s inauguration as the first Muslim mayor of New York City on Thursday was an evening to remember, more particularly because of what his wife and New York’s First Lady Rama Duwaji chose to wear for the occasion. Her fashion choices have been the talk of the town of late, and particularly her support for Middle Eastern brands.

What Rama Duwaji wore for the evening

The First Lady of New York opted for a coat by Palestinian-Lebanese designer Cynthia Merhej and her brand Renaissance. The coat was made in Beirut based on a design from the brand’s autumn/winter 2023 collection.

“On her first official day as first lady of New York, Rama is wearing a small, independent woman designer from the Middle East,” wrote Duwaji’s stylist Gabriella Karefa-Johnson on her Substack later. “That representation resonates. It reverberates. Because fashion communicates. It sends a message.”

“Thrifting is something Rama does often. She’s an exceptionally savvy shopper, so renting second-life fashion felt like the most authentic way to approach a moment of this magnitude,” added the stylist.

Zohran Mamdani and Rama Duwaji’s story

Duwaji met Zohran Mamdani – the son of academic Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair – on the dating app Hinge in 2021, when he was a member of the New York State Assembly.

They were engaged in October 2024 held a private nikah ceremony two months later in Dubai, and married in February 2025 in a civil ceremony at New York City Hall; they also had a ceremony in Uganda – Mamdani’s birth country – in July 2025.

Games

Filmmaker Mira Nair has revealed an intriguing behind-the-scenes detail about her acclaimed BBC series ‘A Suitable Boy’. She shared that her son, New York City’s mayor Zohran Mamdani, was her first choice for the role that eventually went to Ishaan Khatter. However, despite having what she calls “all the right qualities,” Zohran chose not to pursue acting, earning the label of a “most reluctant actor” from his filmmaker mother.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter India(BHARAT), Mira Nair said she genuinely wanted Zohran to be part of A Suitable Boy, her ambitious adaptation of Vikram Seth’s iconic novel. “I really wanted Zohran in it,” she said, adding that he had the sensibility, intelligence, and screen presence needed for the role. But acting, she admitted, was never something her son felt drawn to.