NYC first lady Rama Duwaji spotted shopping in SoHo — fresh from controversial Islamic wellness retreat
New York City’s first lady Rama Duwaji was spotted in public — shopping at a trendy indie-fashion boutique — fresh from her controversial trip to a posh, Islamic-centered retreat last month, exclusive photos reveal.
Duwaji was seen sporting a stylish outfit as she strolled through Soho Thursday evening with a friend, making stops at the MoMA Design Store and the trendy Rachel Comey shop, according to images obtained by The Post.
Duwaji, who is married to Mayor Zohran Mamdani, rocked the same knee-length brown checked coat she wore to the Diotima show at New York Fashion Week, where she made a splash in February.
Duwaji — who has become a fashion icon in some circles — was seen grinning in black heeled boots and sunglasses while pounding the pavement on Broadway with her photographer pal, Eli Rezkallah.
At one point, the pair popped into the fashionable Rachel Comey shop, which sells items such as a “London Dress” for $ 1,195 and a “Roir Blazer” for $1,350.
She also stopped by 550 Broadway, which is home to Spencer’s spa and the workout studio Physique 57.
It’s the first time Duwaji has been spotted out since it was revealed that she served as ann “artist-in-residence” at a retreat in Portugal, run by a group that called for the destruction of Israel.
The group, Women Sanctuary, said it wanted Palestine to be cleansed of its “oppressors” in a series of hateful social media posts last October.
“The apartheid colonial state of Israel has committed a genocide against the Palestinian people,” read an October 2025 Instagram post from the Women Sanctuary.
“Abolish the colonial apartheid state of Israel. Free Palestine,” it declared.
Duwaji has been praised and criticized for her fashion taste, which has included wearing $630 leather boots on loan from Miista and a rented vintage Balenciaga coat on inauguration day in January.
She was dressed for the event by controversial celebrity stylist Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, a former Vogue contributing editor-at-large who resigned after unleashing a virulent anti-Israel rant.