New Delhi: New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, broke Met Gala tradition by skipping the city’s largest and most high-profile annual fundraiser event.
Over the years, the Met’s red carpet has seen a steady presence of leaders, from former New York mayors, such as Michael Bloomberg and Eric Adams, to political figures such as Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, and Hillary Clinton, which made Mamdani’s absence particularly notable.
However, while mayoral attendance at the Met Gala is often cited as a tradition, it has not been universal or consistent.
In an interview last month, Mamdani explained that the Met Gala’s opulence sits uneasily with his political focus on affordability and economic inequality.
His decision stands out even more in light of this year’s honorary chairs, including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos, whose involvement, as both hosts and sponsors alongside Saint Laurent and Condé Nast, has sparked criticism.
Bezos’s association with the event has, in particular, drawn particular backlash due to allegations surrounding labour conditions at Amazon’s fulfilment centres.
Reportedly, posters reading, “The Bezos Met Gala: Brought to you by worker exploitation” also appeared near the museum in late April.
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Did Mamdani break a tradition?
The first time a New York mayor attended the Met Gala was in 2007. Bloomberg graced the red carpet, which is held every year on the first Monday of May, but skipped it in the following years.
Bloomberg’s successor, Bill De Blasio, too, avoided attending the gala until his final year in office in 2021. The following year, Eric Adams made his Met Gala debut during his first year in office. However, he skipped the event in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Mamdani’s absence, therefore, is less of a break from recent precedent than some reports have suggested.
Mamdani didn’t restrict to just skipping the event. He went further in aligning himself with the city’s working class by releasing a Vogue-style editorial highlighting six behind-the-scenes workers who fuel the city’s fashion industry.
The portfolio, which the mayor’s office initially released online via i-D, a fashion magazine, was published hours before the Met Gala and was shot by New York-based photographer Kara McCurdy.
McCurdy captured figures, including tailors from Pakistan and Mexico; a master tailor at Saks Fifth Avenue and a Macy’s employee for nearly four decades.
But the highlight of the portfolio was the inclusion of two former Amazon employees who are now advocating for a bill that would require it and similar companies to directly employ workers.
“While the world’s eyes are on fashion’s biggest night, we’re turning ours to the garment, retail, and warehouse workers who keep the industry running,” Mamdani captioned the article.
He added: “From true love found on the picket line to a free tailoring school out of a Brooklyn basement — meet the New Yorkers who make it all possible.”
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)