Bengaluru: Zohran Mamdani has finally ditched the suit. New York’s first Muslim mayor celebrated Eid Al Adha in a kurta-version of Arsenal’s away kit. The two-tone blue patterned kurta with vibrant red accents was a bold choice.
The mayor wore the custom jersey-kurta to the Bronx’s Macombs Dam Park Wednesday where he joined devotees in prayer.
Eid Mubarak!
Today as we honor Prophet Ibrahim, Eid al-Adha reminds us that sacrifice is not a burden. It is an opportunity to see ourselves as part of something larger. To extend a hand to those who need it most.
I am honored to be New York City's first Muslim Mayor and I am… pic.twitter.com/aDLiDcxFLs
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) May 27, 2026
“Inspired by our supporters and styled for the street as much as the stadium, this is a kit made to move, stand out, and own the moment”—is how Arsenal describes the jersey.
Mamdani is a long-time fan of the English football club. His speechwriter Julian Gerson told the New York Times, that Mamdani replaces references to other football players in his speech with Bukayo Saka and William Saliba—his favourites in the Arsenal squad.
“It [Arsenal] really has been a big part of my life and my identity,” Mamdani told the Times in November last year.
Earlier this month, Mamdani took to the streets to play football with schoolkids to promote his administration’s Soccer Streets programme. Then, too, he wore an Arsenal jersey, but over his regular white shirt and black tie fit.
The club recently won a Premier league title after a 22-year-long wait. This Saturday, the club will have the opportunity to clinch its first ever Champions League title. It’ll play against reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain in the final.
Also read: Zohran Mamdani vs Audrey Truschke on return of the Koh-i-noor
Fashion debate
The Mayor’s sartorial choice has also kicked up a nomenclature debate. Did he wear a kurta or thobe?
The kurta is a South Asian tunic that is typically knee-length with slits down the side. The thobe is an ankle-length tunic worn by Muslim men in the Arabian peninsula.
While Mamdani’s outfit falls firmly into the kurta category, publications and people have called it a thobe.
It has garnered a wide variety of reactions. The New York Post, a consistent critic of the Mayor, called the outfit garish. Others were surprised that this was an option.
“Fear this is the moment I fully lost influence on what sons should wear for Eid,” tweeted British journalist Mishal Husain.
American producer, Franklin Leonard, praised Mamdani’s “thobe”—“My mayor, your smoke too tough. Your swag too different.”
Another user asked how she could get an Eagles-themed lehenga for my cousin’s wedding. The Eagles are Philadelphia’s NFL team.
Also read: For 22 yrs, Arsenal fans survived in past to cope with present. All that’s about to change
Love for football
Mamdani’s love for football goes beyond the kurta. He’s combined it with his core principle of an affordable New York.
Last week, the Mayor announced an affordable ticket programme for the World Cup, exclusively for New York residents.
Residents can register themselves for a random draw till 30 May for tickets that cost $50. They’ll be available for every game at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium other than the final. It also includes transportation to and from the stadium.
Thousand tickets are up for grabs, with about 150 tickets for each of the seven games.