He’s been spotted playing football, frolicking in the sand, dancing on stage with Alicia Keys and the New York Knicks, swimming in pools, and taking dips in the ocean.
While a suit and tie are usually seen as out of place for such pursuits, Zohran Mamdani has spent the past year on a personal mission to show that formal wear can work in any setting.
The mayor rarely appears in anything other than a suit—often bought from Suit Supply, typically dark, paired with a tie and polished black boots. While many male politicians adopt suits to convey seriousness, Mamdani’s commitment to the blazer‑and‑trousers combo is unusually steadfast.
At a May Knicks game at Madison Square Garden, Mamdani turned heads in a dark suit and tie. After New York’s victory, he layered the team jersey over his shirt and tie, keeping it beneath his jacket. In June, he opted for a navy suit, white shirt, and blue‑striped tie during a beachside press event with children.
But those are just the tip of the iceberg.
On New Year’s Day 2025, while campaigning for mayor, Mamdani joined the Polar Bear Club’s icy Atlantic plunge wearing a full suit. In a accompanying TikTok clip he joked, “I’m freezing … your rent as the next mayor of New York City,” a quirky line that drew considerable media attention.
He again defied convention last month when he dove, still suited, into a Harlem swimming pool to kick off the summer pool season—a move the New York Post noted violated the facility’s bathing‑suit‑only rule.
It appears the mayor has locked himself into a wool (or wool‑blend) straitjacket of his own choosing. But what drives this insistence?
His recent predecessors preferred more casual attire. Bill de Blasio favored shorts—though he drew ridicule for his cargo styles—while Eric Adams often opted for polo shirts or a woolly cardigan.
“I believe Mamdani is striving to project the image of a mayor who is constantly on duty,” said Ella Devi, a fashion commentator and fellow Democratic Socialists of America member whose critiques of Republican style have often drawn conservative backlash.
“He aims to signal his dedication through his clothing, and that is evident in his loyalty to suits.”
Devi added, “He’s also a young Muslim socialist.”
Given Mamdani’s frequent scrutiny by right‑wing outlets, he faces stricter expectations than many white centrist politicians—a point Turkish‑American left‑wing streamer Hasan Piker highlighted, noting that conservatives tend to be more receptive to his message when he dresses sharply.
“I used to live in T‑shirts,” he told Dazed. “But I realized that many adults watching Fox News—where clips of me are often aired—respond better when I present myself in a suit and tie.”
The mayor’s office declined to comment on his wardrobe, yet Mamdani discussed his suit habit in a recent CNN interview.
When questioned about his decision to leap into a pool while suited, he replied, “I think I misheard ‘swimsuit.’ I also have to thank Goodwill—I snagged that suit for $30, since I didn’t want to ruin my other ones. But I’m learning that a different outfit might be better for 100‑degree heat.”
Leftists have not traditionally favored formal attire; for instance, disgraced Maine Senate hopeful Graham Platner campaigned in sweaters and T‑shirts, and Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman is known for his love of basketball shorts—though that trend could be shifting.
“If there’s a visual language that signals credibility and authority, why not use it?” asked Nathan Robinson, editor of the left‑leaning Current Affairs magazine, this month.
“A person in a suit is often seen as serious, professional, and ready for business—someone who belongs in the Senate or a boardroom. That’s precisely the image Mamdani aims to project. He recognizes that socialists are frequently viewed as fringe and excluded from decision‑making; suits serve as a subtle means of asserting the legitimacy and authority of socialist ideas.”
Mamdani has pushed the idea further than most. As an avid footballer, he once wore a black suit with a grey tie while practicing keep‑ups in July, and during a match that month he simply slipped a football shirt over his suit—though he removed the jacket.
That wasn’t always the case. A former teammate recalled that Mamdani didn’t used to play in a full suit and tie, noting, “He’d arrive in suit pants—or at least a suit—paired with his signature boots, then change on the field because he was perpetually running late.”
The unnamed source, who now plays on a football team with the article’s author, added, “But he never missed a tackle”—a comment possibly directed at the writer.
The source said Mamdani formerly played in black shorts. When asked whether a suit would be suitable for a football match, they replied no, citing limited fabric stretch, restricted movement, sweat accumulation, the impracticality of frequent dry‑cleaning, the risk of grass stains or tears, wear from friction shortening the life of an expensive garment, and the discomfort of overheating.
Given how deeply the suit has become part of his identity, one wonders whether Mamdani could ever wear something else—or if the mayor could ever abandon formal attire.
“I think he’s now trapped in the suit, and he realizes it, because he’s made wearing it his signature,” Devi said.
“He feels compelled to keep up the act; if he showed up in jeans, the New York Post would likely dissect it for weeks.”
With New York temperatures recently climbing to 38 °C (100 °F), Mamdani might wish for a cooler outfit—though Devi offered a suggestion should the heat become intolerable.
“He’d never consider it, as it wouldn’t read as particularly socialist, but Thom Browne offers stylish suit shorts that could suit future heatwaves. That’s my advice to Mayor Mamdani,” she said.
It’s a sensible notion, except Thom Browne’s site lists those shorts at roughly $1,300—a price that could prompt doubts about Mamdani’s socialist bona fides. For the time being, it appears the mayor remains committed to the suit.