3 w. ago Gen Z’s ‘first lady’: how Rama Duwaji, Mamdani’s wife, speaks to a new era of political fashion

The 28-year-old artist’s style steers clear of the political wife cosplay of pastel skirt suits in favor of something more playful and youthful yet still elegantIt is the most traditional of assets for any ambitious young male politician: a fashionably dressed, beautiful young wife. But as with everything else about the rise of Zohran Mamdani, his wife, Rama Duwaji, represents a new era of politics which speaks to a new generation of voters.Married to the soon-to-be leader of the biggest city in the US, Duwaji, 28, is arguably the US’s first generation Z “first lady”. Duwaji is an artist and illustrator of Syrian heritage, whose work explores themes of Arab identity, female experience and social justice. Working in paint, line-drawing, ceramics and animation, she graduated with a master’s degree in fine art from New York’s School of Visual Arts in 2024. Her thesis was titled Sahtain!, an Arabic expression which translates as “bon appetit”, and explored the communal act of making and...

Politics

3 w. ago Gen Z’s ‘first lady’: how Rama Duwaji, Mamdani’s wife, is reshaping political fashion

The 28-year-old artist’s style steers clear of the political wife cosplay of pastel skirt suits in favor of something more playful and youthful, yet still elegantIt is the most traditional of assets for any ambitious young male politician: a fashionably dressed, beautiful young wife. But as with everything else about the rise of Zohran Mamdani, his wife, Rama Duwaji, represents a new era of politics which speaks to a new generation of voters.Married to the soon-to-be leader of the biggest city in the US, Duwaji, 28, is arguably the US’s first generation Z “first lady”. Duwaji is an artist and illustrator of Syrian heritage, whose work explores themes of Arab identity, female experience and social justice. Working in paint, line-drawing, ceramics and animation, she graduated with a master’s degree in fine art from New York’s School of Visual Arts in 2024. Her thesis was titled Sahtain!, an Arabic expression which translates as “bon appetit”, and explored the communal act of making an...

Politics

3 w. ago France is at war with Shein. We should copy its tactics to defeat fast fashion | Nicole Lipman

The dirt-cheap clothing company has opened its first permanent store in Paris – and politicians and workers have united against it Paris is the fashion capital of the world – a paradise of couture and craftsmanship stretching back centuries. The city’s very name connotes luxury and glamour. But last Wednesday, 5 November, a sprawling Shein outlet opened on the sixth floor of the BHV Marais, the historic department store directly across from Paris’s city hall. It’s the Singapore-based ultra-fast-fashion store’s first permanent bricks and mortar retail space, and the first of several permanent outposts Shein plans to open in France in the near future. Many Parisians aren’t happy about it.Shein – launched as SheInside in 2011 in Nanjing, China – is the reprehensible paragon of the ultra-fast-fashion industry. The company sells clothing (and home goods, toys, stationery, cookware, blankets, pet supplies and more) at an unfathomable scale: today’s “new in” page alone lists more than 1,30...

Events

3 w. ago Flabbergasting views of New York City's next First Lady, 28, laid bare in the hipster artist's work

New York City's next First Lady, Rama Duwaji, is a vocal critic of 'American imperialism' who is facing scrutiny after her extreme views emerged.

Politics

4 w. ago New York gets its first Gen Z First Lady and she met the mayor on Hinge

New York's mayor, Zohran Mamdani, is the city's youngest ever mayor to take office. As he prepares to assume his post in January we find out more about his wife and the first ever Gen Z First Lady, Rama Duwaji

Politics

4 w. ago Zohran Mamdani’s wife Rama Duwaji, the Gen Z First Lady of New York

The 28-year-old artist quietly helped to shape her husband’s wildly successful campaign to become Mayor of New York

Politics

4 w. ago Who is Rama Duwaji? What Zohran Mamdani’s wife has said about Gaza and ICE as he’s elected NYC mayor

Rama Duwaji has a successful career as an illustrator, having worked forThe New Yorker, The Washington Post, and Vogue

Politics