{"id":424,"date":"2026-07-14T09:09:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T09:09:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=424"},"modified":"2026-07-14T09:09:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T09:09:50","slug":"why-mamdani-wont-take-off-that-damn-suit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=424","title":{"rendered":"Why Mamdani won\u2019t take off that damn suit"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

White button down. Suit jacket in dark colors only \u2013 never flashy, or god forbid, tan. Sharp, sometimes colorful tie.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more State lawmakers eye LGBTQ+ caucus in Albany<\/a><\/p>\n

Whether on a boat in triple-digit temperatures or playing pickup soccer, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has gotten a reputation for adhering to his uniform. That uniform, well-noticed during his mayoral campaign and his early days in office,\u00a0has grown more remarkable in the summer heat. Last month, he jumped into a pool fully suited up, down to the dress socks, prompting CNN\u2019s Sara Sidner to present him with a pair of swim trunks on top of the Empire State Building during their 4th of July broadcast.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s typical for a government official to wear a suit, but some of his recent predecessors seemed to relish going business casual when given the opportunity. Eric Adams sported his mayoral-branded polos at parades. Bill de Blasio knew his way around pool wear.<\/p>\n

But Mamdani has set himself apart from former mayors by making it clear: the suit stays on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As a 33-year-old Assembly member running for mayor against established Democratic politicians \u2013 most notably, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo \u2013 Mamdani was doubted as an unserious candidate with relatively paltry government experience. The basic suit-and-tie uniform seemed aimed at dressing for the job he wanted \u2013\u00a0or, at least, what New Yorkers were used to seeing from their mayor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But in his previous role in the Assembly, his uniform looked a bit different. As an Assembly candidate, Mamdani introduced himself in 2020 wearing a kurta. The collarless tunic represented his own Indian heritage, and the diversity of the western Queens district he was running to represent, which includes significant Muslim, Middle Eastern and North African populations. He wore the kurta in campaign literature and after he became the first South Asian man elected to the Assembly, he even donned a blue kurta in his official Assembly headshot, standing out in a seat of suits and ties.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t a stunt, said Amit Singh Bagga, a Democratic consultant and former aide to Gov. Kathy Hochul. \u201cHe was being representational. It was serious, but so people were paying attention to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the culturally expressive way he dressed as a state representative for Astoria didn\u2019t follow him to the mayoral race.<\/p>\n

On the night before his mayoral campaign launch, Mamdani turned to his team and asked them if they thought he should wear a suit. They all agreed he should, recalled Andrew Epstein, who went on to serve as his communications director during the campaign. \u201cAnd then he basically never took it off,\u201d said Epstein.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In one of his earlier viral moments on the campaign trail, he did the polar bear plunge at Coney Island in a full suit. That video gained hundreds of thousands of views, and was likely some New Yorkers\u2019 first introduction to him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Several people close to Mamdani \u2013\u00a0and those who have closely watched his evolution \u2013\u00a0offered a handful of theories on the switch, no single one necessarily in opposition to another.<\/p>\n

One argument for the jacket\u00a0and tie is that it helps to counter arguments that Mamdani\u2019s socialist politics are unserious. \u201cHe\u2019s somebody who thinks that the left should be organized and professional in their presentation at all times, and I think he\u2019s shown a lot of success with that,\u201d Epstein said.<\/p>\n

Another is that the suit and tie is legible to the whole city. \u201cHe wants to convey a universalism with the suit in a city known for its incredible diversity, that is read by everyone in the same way,\u201d said Brooklyn borough historian Asad Dandia, who is close with Mamdani. His swap to the suit aligned with his switch from being a representative for just Astoria, to a representative for all of New York City. \u201cI think part of that is he wants something that\u2019s more universally recognized. Kurtas are universally recognized mostly by Desis (South Asians), and maybe some who are cultured enough to understand, but I think part of it has to do with the universalism of a suit anywhere in the world. You wear a suit, people know you\u2019re serious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Child support cases see citywide speed up<\/a><\/p>\n

To create the new identity, then-Assembly Member Mamdani had to start to do away with his old brand. \u201cIf there\u2019s a single mayor in the last 25 years who is conscious of branding? It\u2019s Zohran Mamdani,\u201d Dandia added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As the mayor of firsts \u2013 first Asian, first born in Africa and first Muslim mayor \u2013 Mamdani has faced harsh racism and Islamophobia both on the campaign trail and since taking office. Paired together, Mamdani\u2019s well-dressed manner and consistent positive demeanor appear to some as a defense mechanism.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The suit and the smile can have another impact, consciously or unconsciously, to undermine those same kind of Islamophobic or racist ideas about Muslim or immigrant men,\u201d Epstein said. They may have a \u201cdisarming effect.\u201d Or, he ventured, the mayor just have \u201ca resting smiling face.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wearing a suit and tie didn\u2019t stop those attacks, Epstein noted, highlighting the Islamophobic mailer created for the pro-Cuomo super PAC Fix the City that featured a digitally altered beard on Zohran Mamdani. (The Cuomo campaign called the proposed mailer \u201cdisrespectful.\u201d) But, Epstein said, \u201cI suppose one could safely speculate they would have been even worse or more intense if he was wearing a kurta on the trail.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even as his wardrobe changed, Mamdani said he hasn\u2019t. In an April 2025 interview, he told GQ, \u201cI am the same person who\u2019s wearing a Kitenge suit that was tailored in Kansaga, Kampala, Uganda, and East Africa, and I am the same guy who\u2019s wearing a Bandhgala that was tailored in Delhi. And I am the same guy who\u2019s wearing the suit from 30th Avenue that I bought from Morgan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since winning the mayoral election and taking office in City Hall, Mamdani has only rarely veered away from his suits \u2013 his \u201c\u2018bat costume\u2019 if you will,\u201d said Dandia. Now the few times he has<\/em> gone more casual, it\u2019s made the news and started a discourse.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the image that he has to present as the face of socialism in New York City and beyond, that he’s wearing a full suit in 105 degrees weather,\u201d said Ella Devi Weerackody, a Parsons student, DSA member and Mamdani fan who has made viral videos about the intersection of politics and fashion. \u201cHe knows his responsibility and he also knows that he is trapped within this suit \u2013\u00a0that if he wears shorts to work, that\u2019s all the New York Post is going to talk about for the next two weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another mayor of firsts could also be inspiring his outfit choices: David Dinkins, the first Black mayor, and a democratic socialist.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s ironic because the perception we have of leftists is a perception that they don\u2019t necessarily dress formally,\u201d said Dandia. \u201cIn fact, in some leftist circles, formal dress is even frowned upon. It\u2019s viewed as a symbol of colonialism, the establishment, all of these things. And then you have these two left-wing mayors, David Dinkins and Zohran Mamdani, who portray the exact opposite. These are left-wing men of color who wore suits everywhere they went.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dandia suggested Mamdani is reclaiming the suit. \u201cHe\u2019s saying that this is not just something for the Anglo-Saxon class but that an African born, Asian, Shia Muslim socialist can embody all of these things just as well as anyone else,\u201d said Dandia.<\/p>\n

The suit also has the ease of a uniform. \u201cHe is the mayor, which is like Mickey Mouse in Disney World,\u201d said Skye Ostreicher, founder of In the Room Media and creator of the political fashion show Style Across the Aisle. \u201cAny of these costume characters, you see them, you recognize them, because they look the same all the time. Their hair is the same, their outfits are the same \u2026 There he is in the same outfit, he looks how he looks on TV, like that’s him,\u201d she said. \u201cUndoubtedly that\u2019s the mayor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will it last? \u201cHe\u2019s committed himself to the suit, he can\u2019t escape the suit now,\u201d Weerackody said.\u00a0 \u201cThe suit has to go with him for the rest of his mayoral days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more The 2026 Who\u2019s Who in Insurance<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Zohran Mamdani, almost no mayoral pursuit will be done sans suit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":423,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,30,45],"tags":[21,31,46],"class_list":["post-424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-york-city","category-personality","category-zohran-mamdani","tag-new-york-city","tag-personality","tag-zohran-mamdani"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Mamdani won\u2019t take off that damn suit - Business Relocation Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=424\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Mamdani won\u2019t take off that damn suit - Business Relocation Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For Zohran Mamdani, almost no mayoral pursuit will be done sans suit.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=424\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Business Relocation Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-14T09:09:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=424#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=424\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3174a35dc160ba2a2c93ee7892afb9e0\"},\"headline\":\"Why Mamdani won\u2019t take off that damn suit\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-14T09:09:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=424\"},\"wordCount\":1411,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=424#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/f998274a9ae1efcfed9066cf5c0f044b.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"New York City\",\"Personality\",\"Zohran Mamdani\"],\"articleSection\":[\"New York City\",\"Personality\",\"Zohran Mamdani\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=424#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=424\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=424\",\"name\":\"Why Mamdani won\u2019t take off that damn suit - Business Relocation Digest\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=424#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=424#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/f998274a9ae1efcfed9066cf5c0f044b.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-14T09:09:50+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3174a35dc160ba2a2c93ee7892afb9e0\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=424#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=424\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=424#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/f998274a9ae1efcfed9066cf5c0f044b.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/f998274a9ae1efcfed9066cf5c0f044b.jpg\",\"width\":400,\"height\":400},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=424#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why Mamdani won\u2019t take off that damn suit\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Business Relocation Digest\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3174a35dc160ba2a2c93ee7892afb9e0\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why Mamdani won\u2019t take off that damn suit - Business Relocation Digest","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=424","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why Mamdani won\u2019t take off that damn suit - Business Relocation Digest","og_description":"For Zohran Mamdani, almost no mayoral pursuit will be done sans suit.","og_url":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=424","og_site_name":"Business Relocation Digest","article_published_time":"2026-07-14T09:09:50+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=424#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=424"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3174a35dc160ba2a2c93ee7892afb9e0"},"headline":"Why Mamdani won\u2019t take off that damn suit","datePublished":"2026-07-14T09:09:50+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=424"},"wordCount":1411,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=424#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/f998274a9ae1efcfed9066cf5c0f044b.jpg","keywords":["New York City","Personality","Zohran Mamdani"],"articleSection":["New York City","Personality","Zohran Mamdani"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=424#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=424","url":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=424","name":"Why Mamdani won\u2019t take off that damn suit - Business Relocation Digest","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=424#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=424#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/f998274a9ae1efcfed9066cf5c0f044b.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-14T09:09:50+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3174a35dc160ba2a2c93ee7892afb9e0"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=424#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=424"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=424#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/f998274a9ae1efcfed9066cf5c0f044b.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/f998274a9ae1efcfed9066cf5c0f044b.jpg","width":400,"height":400},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=424#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why Mamdani won\u2019t take off that damn suit"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/","name":"Business Relocation Digest","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3174a35dc160ba2a2c93ee7892afb9e0","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com"],"url":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}