New York’s first lady, Rama Duwaji, stepped onto the City Hall Plaza celebration on June 18 wearing a custom, Knicks-inspired dress made from tied upcycled Knicks T-shirts. The look—designed by 2026 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist Miss Claire Sullivan—came mi
On June 18, minutes after New York’s biggest ticker-tape Knicks parade rolled through the city, Rama Duwaji and Mayor Zohran Mamdani reached City Hall Plaza to mark the NBA championship celebration. For Duwaji, the moment wasn’t just about cheering. It was about what she wore—and what it stood for.
Duwaji. New York City’s first lady. stepped out beside her husband in a custom Knicks-inspired ensemble built for the occasion. She chose to spotlight local design, wearing a one-shoulder, draped dress made from tied upcycled Knicks T-shirts. The dress was created by 2026 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist Miss Claire Sullivan.
The styling was unmistakably New York: Duwaji layered the dress over a voluminous black midi skirt. finished with black sneakers. and added matching orange pom-pom earrings. Mamdani matched the energy from the other side of the frame. He wore a Josh Hart jersey under his suit jacket, layering it over his blue-and-orange shirt and tie.
The Knicks parade had already turned the city into a stage for finals fashion. The celebration drew on a run of widely shared looks tied to the NBA Finals—Spike Lee’s Pope Leo jersey. Taylor Swift’s “Stevie Knicks” T-shirt. and ensembles coordinated in orange and blue by Timothee Chalemet and Kylie Jenner. Even the most talked-about accessory from the series—Jordyn Wood’s “lucky” orange bag—had made its way into the broader conversation around game-day style.
Wood’s bag is from her own label. Woods by Jordyn. and it became a staple of her game day looks throughout the series. The connection to outcomes became personal for her fiancé, championship player Karl-Anthony Towns. Wood said she couldn’t wear the now-sold out bag to Game 3. after heightened security measures surrounding President Donald Trump’s attendance. That was the game when the Knicks fell to the Spurs for the first time in the series.
After the loss, Wood made sure her favorite purse was back for Games 4 and 5. That’s when the Knicks proceeded to win the championship.
Since the big win. Wood has brought the bag on a press tour of its own. taking it to talk show appearances and—by the time of Thursday’s historic parade—into the spotlight again. The celebration continued to blur the lines between sports and style. right up to the float: Mamdani even posed for a photo with the coveted purse while riding on the championship float with Knicks players.
Knicks parade City Hall Plaza Rama Duwaji Zohran Mamdani NBA Finals fashion upcycled Knicks T-shirts Miss Claire Sullivan CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund finalist Woods by Jordyn Jordyn Wood Karl-Anthony Towns