In the early hours of Thursday, Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as the new mayor of New York City. Standing beside him during this significant moment was his wife, Rama Duwaji, whose choice of footwear quickly caught the public’s attention.
The mayor, aged 34, took his oath at a historically significant, now-retired subway station in Manhattan. Yet, it was Duwaji’s chic ensemble that has become a talking point.
As New York’s First Lady, the 28-year-old artist donned a sophisticated black knee-length skirt paired with a black wool coat. Her look was accentuated by a striking pair of $630 boots.
These fashionable mid-calf boots, laced elegantly at the back from the heel, featured a pointed toe and a modest heel, adding to their allure.
Duwaji’s choice of footwear, the Miista boots in the Shelley style, is available in both black and dark brown shades.
Miista, a European fashion brand, is committed to sustainable practices. On their website, they proudly state their willingness to prioritize personality and aesthetic value over profit, challenging conventional fashion trends.
However, many people slammed the illustrator for her pricey footwear choice, with Mamdani’s campaign driving home his desire to make New York more ‘affordable.’
‘Mamdani’s “affordability agenda” is a scam. His wife parades in $600 Miista boots while he pushes rent freezes that’ll collapse housing stock. They’re moving into Gracie Mansion to dodge the chaos their policies create,’ one scathing comment on X, formerly Twitter, read.
Zohran Mamdani became mayor of New York City just after midnight Thursday, and standing by his side was his wife, Rama Duwaji – in some very pricy boots
The Miista boots, which Duwaji was wearing in the Shelley style come in black or dark brown and cost $630
His platform included free child care, free buses, a rent freeze for about one million households, and a pilot of city-run grocery stores.
‘It’s kind of weird and off-base to be focusing on what designer items she’s wearing when he’s trying to promote policies of financial stability and equity for all. Let’s focus on what matters. This is bad optics, honestly,’ chimed in someone else.
Another declared: ‘New Yorkers got fooled into putting this couple into a mansion with $600 boots thinking they care about affordability lol.’
‘Very tasteless,’ slammed a different user.
During his campaign, Mamdani promised to bring transformative change with policies intended to lower the cost of living in one of the world´s most expensive cities.
Mamdani, a Democrat, was sworn in on Thursday as the first Muslim leader of America´s biggest city, placing his hand on a Quran as he took his oath.
‘This is truly the honor and the privilege of a lifetime,’ Mamdani said in a brief speech.
It’s not the first time Mumdani’s glamorous wife has stolen the show with her elegant outfit.
New York’s First Lady, 28, wore a black knee-length skirt and a black woolen coat, completing the look with the $630 boots
However, many people slammed the illustrator for her pricey footwear choice, with Mamdani’s campaign driving home his desire to make New York more ‘affordable’
Mamdani, 34, was elected as New York City’s mayor late last year, making history as the first Muslim mayor and the youngest since 1982. He’s seen with his wife on election night
On the night her husband was elected the Mayor of New York, she wore a stylish all-black outfit, which appeared to have some hidden messages woven in, featuring both Middle Eastern and New York City designers.
Last week, Duwaji was slammed online after she shared her views on fame while gracing the cover of The Cut’s special issue.
Speaking to the magazine about her new role as First Lady of New York City, Duwaji said: ‘When I first heard it, it felt so formal and like – not that I didn’t feel deserving of it, but it felt like, me…?
‘Now I embrace it a bit more and just say, “There are different ways to do it.”‘
Duwaji was adamant that she didn’t want to be known as ‘the mayor’s plus-one’ and said she planned to continue her work as an artist despite her new role.
Photographed in loaned designer clothes, she continued: ‘At the end of the day, I’m not a politician.
‘I’m here to be a support system for Z and to use the role in the best way that I can as an artist.
Duwaji and Mamdani met on Hinge, a dating app, when she was 24 years old and he was 29.
The two announced their engagement in October of last year and they said their ‘I dos’ at City Hall in Lower Manhattan in February.
They had an opulent party and Nikkah ceremony, an Islamic wedding, in Dubai in December 2024.
They also had a multi-day wedding celebration in July 2025 at Mamdani’s parents’ home in Uganda.
The couple will move into Gracie Mansion, the official mayoral residence on the Upper East Side, moving out of their one-bedroom, rent-stabilized apartment in Astoria.
