Mayor Mamdani kicked off the World Cup festivities Thursday with a new line of limited edition affordable jerseys “by New Yorkers, for New Yorkers,” thanks to a Bed-Stuy studio.
The Gotham head, 34, announced the jerseys Thursday on Instagram and with the help of GQ, though the $50 soccer sportswear — sold at cost — became available to the public as of Friday morning at the 1 Centre Street City Store, with only in-person purchase available.
“Made by New Yorkers, for New Yorkers and handmade by Mazzi, an immigrant, multigenerational studio in Brooklyn,” Mamdani wrote of the studio founded by Colombian immigrant Alexander Campaz. His son, Alex, is now in charge.
The Daily News has reached out to the Mayor’s office for additional information about the collaboration.
“Jerseys represent more than just the team you support,” Mamdani told GQ. “They are about pride in where you come from and who you are.”
He thanked the family-owned studio — previously housed in Queens and Midtown before Brooklyn’s East New York and ultimately, Bed-Stuy — for helping “to make sure that nobody is priced out of showing pride for our city.”
Adult authentic National Team Soccer USA kits from Nike, by comparison, range from $85 to $175. Those from the official U.S. Soccer Store, meanwhile, start at $100.
Arsh Raziuddin designed the jerseys, of which there are 500 in each color scheme — orange and blue, black and yellow, or black and white.
Per a statement included in Mamdani’s Instagram post, the jerseys were made by “the same people who made medical gowns for this city during COVID.”
The World Cup is particularly close to home this year as eight matches, beginning with Brazil v. Morocco this Saturday, will take place at East Rutherford’s MetLife Stadium, temporarily renamed New York New Jersey Stadium.
Mamdani announced last month that, with the help of a lottery, 1,000 New Yorkers would be able to score FIFA tickets for just $50, rather than the usual price — over $1,000.
The Garden State is also giving nearly 800 free tickets to select groups, including families of sick children and internationally deployed New Jersey National Guard service members.