On January 1, 2026, when Zohran Mamdani took office as the city’s first mayor of South Asian and Muslim heritage, attention quickly shifted to his wife, Syrian-American artist Rama Duwaji. Rather than investing in a wardrobe of high-end attire, she opted to source her looks through rentals and borrowed pieces, a choice that subtly challenged long-standing expectations around political fashion and status What stood out most in Duwaji’s ensemble was a brief line in the outfit credits: “On Loan.” At the midnight swearing-in held in a former subway station, she appeared in a vintage wool Balenciaga coat with a funnel neckline, sourced through a rental from Albright Fashion Library, styled with bold, sculptural gold earrings from New York Vintage. Neither item was hers to keep, a choice that underscored her embrace of reuse in fashion and reflected her generation’s broader commitment to sustainability and responsible buying. Beneath the coat, she wore sharply cut black shorts by The Frankie Shop, a fixture of New York’s downtown style scene. Completing the look were black mid-calf boots by Miista, featuring a long pointed toe and popular among Gen Z, which she also borrowed for the event. Later, for the public ceremony at City Hall Plaza, Duwaji wore a chocolate brown funnel-neck coat with faux-fur trim from Renaissance, founded by Palestinian-Lebanese designer Cynthia Merhej. The coat was a custom reworking of a fall 2023 piece. She paired it with coffee-brown lace-up boots and silver hoop earrings. Similar to her previous look, each piece was carefully hand-picked for its provenance and meaning, allowing her clothes to carry context and personal significance into a historic public moment. Karefa-Johnson, a New York–based stylist and editor, reflected on her collaboration with Duwaji in her newsletter, noting that the approach felt entirely natural. She wrote, “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. In both process and result, it’s clear she has no intention of showing up as anything other than herself.” At an election night gathering last November, Duwaji wore a square-neck denim top designed by Palestinian-Jordanian label Zeid Hijazi, paired with a black skirt from New York–based designer Ulla Johnson and earrings by jewellery brand Eddie Borgo. What she wears goes beyond aesthetics, it sends a pointed message that a new generation intends to shape its own presence in positions of influence, standing alongside its partners rather than remaining in the background. A glance through the illustrator’s Instagram also reveals a collection of clothing that clearly reflects someone who has spent time understanding both herself and her surroundings. She keeps a close eye on up-and-coming and independent designers, building a closet rich in well-worn vintage accessories rather than fleeting, algorithm-driven trends.
Borrowed, not bought; A look at the first lady’s fashion choices
