Gen Z fashion icon Rama Duwaji turns heads at Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral election with Palestinian-inspired Tatreez embroidery

Decoding her outfit

An animator and illustrator by profession, Duwaji has emerged as a Gen Z fashion icon whose wardrobe often reflects her activism. By choosing to spotlight a Palestinian designer at such a significant political event, she signalled solidarity amid ongoing global conversations around identity and resistance.

Fashion, long used as a political language, has always served as a way to reclaim history and make visible the unseen. From Princess Diana to Michelle Obama, First Ladies have mastered the art of turning public appearances into subtle statements — and Duwaji’s debut follows that lineage.

Palestinian women once embroidered their thobes (traditional dresses) with motifs that told personal and collective histories. (Source: Instagram/@thetatreezcollective)

Her black dress featured Tatreez embroidery, a centuries-old Palestinian craft rich with coded symbolism. More than ornamentation, Tatreez functions as a record of resistance — stitching stories of survival and memory into fabric. Duwaji’s choice, then, became a gesture of remembrance and quiet defiance, honouring the Palestinian community’s endurance in the face of displacement and loss.

According to a blog post by The Met Museum, Palestinian women once embroidered their thobes (traditional dresses) with motifs that told personal and collective histories. “Until the mid-twentieth century, Palestinian dress styles reflected an individual or a place — a wife, a mother, a daughter, a family, a village, a town, a field, a market,” the museum notes. “The thobe marks the owner’s life and holds a woman’s biographical details through her choice of thread, colour, and pattern — a story told in stitches.”

While Duwaji’s ensemble carried layers of meaning, Mamdani, now New York City’s first South Asian mayor, also brought symbolism to his look. He wore a dark suit complemented by a trio of silver rings — heirlooms and gifts that, as he told The New York Times, reflect his lineage and love. One was passed down from his grandfather, another gifted by Duwaji, and a third, his wedding band.

The couple’s story, fittingly modern, began on the dating app Hinge before leading to a City Hall wedding — and now, to the steps of history.

DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to. Always consult your health practitioner before starting any routine.

From the homepage

Rajasthan student’s body found in Russian dam after 19 days; family seeks probe, early repatriation

‘Sowed the seeds of partition’: PM Modi alleges Congress dropped important stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram’

Pune deal case live: Ajit Pawar says sale deed stands cancelled, not a single paisa exchanged