Throughout his campaign, Zohran Mamdani, who was elected mayor of New York on Tuesday night, dressed his age.
Yes, he wore a suit every day, unusual for most 34-year-old New Yorkers. The city’s zip-up hoodie-wearing millennials probably outnumber those in suits. But the suit he was wearing was the typical entry-level suit for a thirty-something looking to be taken seriously.
“It’s his first interview suit, which is really what this was for him,” said Michael Hainey, author and editor. For years, Hainey worked at GQ and Esquire, men’s fashion magazines that steered men Mamdani’s age toward suits with that refined, Italian-influenced image.
“It’s the millennial version of ‘ok, this is what I need to look good and get the job,'” Hainey said.
Mamdani’s jacket is soft on the shoulders, with modest lapels, no wider than a Democratic Socialist’s membership card; The pants are fitted, reflecting the slim fit that became fashionable in the 2000s and has remained in style ever since. Mamdani also often wears lace-up leather boots, another clue that her taste in clothing was probably shaped by the pages of GQ circa 2018.
Giving his victory speech in Brooklyn shortly after 11 Tuesday night, Mamdani wore, as he had for months, a dark blue suit, white shirt and blue tie. That outfit took him to that stage; why deviate now?
The suits are, crucially, affordable. In an interview with the men’s fashion podcast Throwing Fits, Mamdani said his midnight blue suit, one of “about four or five” he owns, was from Suitsupply, an affordable Dutch brand with five stores in New York.
“I wear it too much, honestly – it’s the workhorse,” said Mamdani, who added that he tries to “vary up” the look by changing his skinny ties, a sign that Mamdani matured in Don Draper’s shadow.
Beyond his progressive policies and his Instagram prowess, it is the tailored suit that defines Mamdani as a member of a generation that has barely broken into American politics and that until now had not crossed the doors of City Hall.
“Suitsupply’s suits are more for, say, young guys,” said Sam Wazin, a tailor on 57th Street in Manhattan, describing the style as modern and not too tight.
“I’m not going to say it’s a bad suit. It’s a good suit.”
On the Throwing Fits podcast, Mamdani mentioned that he used to wear a gray cashmere suit, purchased for $100 “at a completely illegal street fair on 30th Avenue.” He’s also been photographed wearing a J. Crew English wool tweed “Ludlow” suit, with brown flecks and open pockets, giving off a professorial air.
But it’s Suitsupply’s that the Mayor-elect seemed to use the most during the final stages of the campaign. A photo from June 23 shows Mamdani removing his jacket in the New York heat and revealing a white “Suitsupply” label inside.
Similar suits sell for about $600 at Suitsupply, which makes its clothes overseas in countries like China. It is a price that has made the brand a common recommendation for young people who need a suit for everyday use. Suitsupply is, in fact, the suggestion that appears on Reddit when searching for “best suits under a thousand dollars.”
“I think about my brother, who is a professor, and if he weren’t my brother, he would probably feel like he was buying the latest thing by getting a suit from J. Crew or Suitsupply,” said Jake Mueser, a tailor in Manhattan who specializes in more expensive suits than those Mamdani wears.
For men of his generation, suits are a means to an end, not a passion. His choice lacks the stylistic touch shown by previous Mayors, such as Michael Bloomberg, who bought his suits from Martin Greenfield, a custom tailor in Brooklyn, or Eric Adams, who wore 19 different ties in 30 days.
For Mueser, the Mayor-elect’s affordable suits set the right tone for a candidate campaigning on a message of affordability.
“It would be too much if I wore something super stylish,” she said.
Could he have allowed himself a flashy accessory, like Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa’s signature red beret? Probably not. Mamdani also did not follow Andrew Cuomo in stopping wearing a tie. For good reason: If Cuomo, at 67, strove to appear closer to voters, Mamdani’s burden was to appear equal to the position. Although, on the morning of the election, Mamdani did go without a tie when, accompanied by his wife, Rama Duwaji, he voted in Astoria, Queens.
When her fledgling campaign seemed like a long shot, Mamdani was more flexible with her style, wearing a zip-up work jacket from New York brand Only, traditional kurtas and a mustard sweater that was her favorite. As he rose in the polls, Mamdani adopted a gently preppy dress code that seems to channel John Lindsay, the Mayor who ran New York in a skinny tie during the late ’60s and early ’70s.
“You have to dress to show everyone over 40 that you mean business,” Hainey said. Judging by Tuesday’s results, that strategy worked.
Now that he has been elected, however, some wonder whether Mamdani will be able to continue wearing a foreign-made suit.
“I should support the locals,” said Wazin.
Mueser agreed, suggesting as options Ned, a custom tailor in Manhattan’s Flatiron district, and Brooklyn’s Franco Ercole, although, of course, those would be more expensive than his current choice.
“If you’re the Mayor of New York, you should really buy things made in the five boroughs.”