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Mamdani skips Met Gala, highlights fashion workers instead
Mayor spotlights six workers powering fashion, skipping gala to emphasize labor and industry workforce contributions
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Pranavi Sharma - Tue, 05, May 2026
- 04:33 EDT
- 34
In a post on X, Mamdani said his focus would shift away from the high-profile event to the labor behind it. / X
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani did not attend the 2026 Met Gala, breaking with a long-standing tradition, and instead used the occasion to highlight six workers in the fashion industry.
In a post on X, Mamdani said his focus would shift away from the high-profile event to the labor behind it. “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,” he wrote in an X article titled: 'Work of Art: Turning the Lens on the Workers wHo Power Fashion.'
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.”
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) May 4, 2026
Mamdani, 34, had been invited to the gala along with his wife, Rama Duwaji, but had earlier told HellGate that he would not attend. His decision stands out as New York City mayors have traditionally attended the event in support of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Former Mayor Eric Adams attended in 2022.
Instead, Mamdani highlighted six individuals he described as representative of the city’s workforce: tailor Hafeez Raza; tailor and union organizer Christopher Anderson; former Amazon delivery employees and activists Latrice Johnson and Lamont Hopewell; tailor Sonia Castrejón; and Macy’s employee and union organizer Earnestine Gay.
According to the mayor’s post, the group reflects workers across garment production, retail, and logistics sectors that underpin the fashion industry. He also shared their photographs alongside short profiles.
Raza, originally from Sialkot, Pakistan, learned sewing as a child and now runs a shop in Brooklyn, creating garments by hand. Anderson, a master tailor at Saks Fifth Avenue, has decades of experience and is involved in union representation for workers.
Johnson and Hopewell, both former Amazon delivery workers, were noted for their organizing efforts around workplace conditions. Castrejón, who immigrated from Mexico, runs a free tailoring school from her Brooklyn home. Gay, a Macy’s employee, has worked in fashion retail for decades and is also active in union organizing.
Mamdani’s decision not to attend the gala aligns with his broader political positioning, including his advocacy for higher taxes on millionaires. This year’s Met Gala listed Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos as honorary chairs.
By redirecting attention, Mamdani framed the fashion industry not through its public-facing spectacle, but through its labor base.
Discover more at New India Abroad.
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