{"id":271458,"date":"2026-06-18T23:41:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T23:41:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/271458\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T23:41:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T23:41:41","slug":"nyc-first-lady-rama-duwajis-high-fashion-knicks-parade-dress-was-made-from-bootleg-merch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/271458\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC first lady Rama Duwaji\u2019s high-fashion Knicks parade dress was made from bootleg merch"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York\u2019s first lady came dressed for the Knicks.<\/p>\n

Rama Duwaji took the stage at Thursday\u2019s Knicks parade <\/a>in a custom dress made from bootleg NBA Finals merch tees, courtesy of downtown designer Miss Claire Sullivan.<\/p>\n

The one-shoulder design was stitched together from white, orange and blue T-shirts, which Sullivan tucked, stitched and tied to create an asymmetrical silhouette.<\/p>\n

\"Rama<\/p>\n

Rama Duwaji took the Knicks championship parade stage in a custom Miss Claire Sullivan dress on Thursday. AP Photo\/Yuki Iwamura<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The first lady\u2019s one-shoulder look was stitched together from bootleg NBA Finals merch tees. Kevin Mazur\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\"Gold<\/p>\n

Gold necklaces and fluffy orange puff ball earrings finished off the parade look. Getty Images<\/p>\n

\"Duwaji<\/p>\n

Duwaji is married to Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who was inaugurated as New York City\u2019s mayor in January. Getty Images<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The 28-year-old artist paired the piece with a black midi skirt and cleft-toe sneakers. REUTERS<\/p>\n

Duwaji, 28, layered the piece over a black midi skirt and finished the look with layered gold necklaces, orange puff-ball earrings and black Nike Air Rift sneakers.<\/p>\n

Sullivan, whose client list also includes Lady Gaga, Rosal\u00eda and Addison Rae, shared a version of the look<\/a> on Instagram earlier this week, styled with a layered white tulle tutu in place of the black skirt.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnicks in five<\/p>\n

\"\ufffd\ufffd\"<\/p>\n

\ufffd\ufffd<\/p>\n

\"\ufffd\ufffd\"<\/p>\n

\ufffd\ufffd<\/p>\n

LFG NYC,\u201d the designer captioned her post.<\/p>\n

Her famous fans co-signed: Addison Rae wrote, \u201cR u kidding,\u201d while Lisa Rinna chimed in with, \u201cSo good!!!!\u201d Ella Emhoff, the former second daughter of the United States, added, \u201cHoly S\u2014TTTTT.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy entire family is from New York, but have all since moved away, and everyone was texting me about wanting Knicks shirts,\u201d Sullivan told Vogue<\/a>. \u201cI wasn\u2019t able to go to any of the street vendors myself, so my friends helped me source. When I saw how many colors there were, I was inspired to get one in every color and turn them into a dress.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sullivan<\/p>\n

Sullivan shared a version of the design on Instagram earlier this week, captioning the post \u201cKnicks in five LFG NYC.\u201d Instagram\/missclairsullivan<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The original version of the look paired the tees with a layered tutu. Instagram\/missclairsullivan<\/p>\n

\"Sullivan<\/p>\n

Sullivan wore the original tutu version of the dress out on Saturday to celebrate the championship. Instagram\/tourmaliiine<\/p>\n

Sullivan wore the tutu version herself on Saturday to celebrate the Knicks\u2019 94-90 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5.<\/p>\n

Thursday\u2019s parade appearance was one of Duwaji\u2019s most public fashion moments since her husband, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, was inaugurated<\/a> in January.<\/p>\n

The Houston-born artist and animator became the city\u2019s first Gen Z and first Muslim first lady earlier this year, and has largely kept a low profile while continuing her work in illustration and ceramics.<\/p>\n