Mamdani’s Stylist Downgrades First Class Flight Over ‘Microaggression From White Men’

Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, a former editor at Vogue and stylist to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, said she downgraded herself from first class to business class on a recent flight to Milan after what she described as “persistent micro-aggression” from a male flight attendant.

Karefa-Johnson, 34, shared the account Tuesday on social media, writing that she made the decision during a transatlantic flight after feeling uncomfortable in the first-class cabin.

“I just downgraded myself from first class to business class on my flight to Milan. In a cabin of 6, 5 of the passengers were white middle aged men… then there was me, a 30 something black woman who travels in that cabin often,” she posted.

She added that a male flight attendant “thought I’d be okay with substandard service and persistent micro-aggression from the moment I sat down. He was… wrong.”

Karefa-Johnson did not specify what the alleged micro-aggression entailed but said she chose to “sacrifice physical comfort” by moving to business class in order to protect her “emotional and mental well-being.” She later wrote that the pilot and purser came to apologize after she changed seats, adding, “Maybe the attendant was just having a bad day but it feels so gross.”

It was not immediately clear which airline she was flying. Only Emirates and American Airlines operate direct routes from New York’s JFK Airport to Milan offering both first- and business-class cabins.

Karefa-Johnson rose to prominence in the fashion industry in 2021 when she became the first black woman to style a cover for Vogue. She departed the magazine in 2023 after publicly criticizing Israel in the days following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks, describing the country as an “apartheid state” and accusing it of “genocide.” She later said working in an environment where “vitriolic white supremacy goes unchecked is untenable.”

Based in Brooklyn, Karefa-Johnson has styled a number of high-profile figures, including Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, for the mayor’s inauguration in January. Writing on her Substack at the time, she described the couple’s look as “honest. Real. Regal in the punkest way.”

She has also previously drawn headlines for a public dispute with rapper Kanye West in 2022 after she criticized “White Lives Matter” T-shirts featured in his Yeezy fashion show, calling them “deeply offensive, violent and dangerous.” West responded on social media by mocking her fashion credentials before deleting the post.

Her account of the airline incident quickly sparked debate online, with some followers urging her to formally complain to the carrier. Others questioned the lack of specific details about the alleged treatment.

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