Once upon a time, “crack” was something I needed to do to my back, “bam” was the ungodly noise my radiator makes in my New York City apartment, and a “dot” was a measurement for liquid blush. But since becoming obsessed with Mahjong, these words have lived rent-free in my mind.
The game of Mahjong—which originated in Qing Dynasty China, before being popularized around the globe by waves of East Asian immigration in the early 20th century—is swiftly making its way to a new generation of players. (In 1937, a group of Jewish women also established the National Mah Jongg League, creating what is known today as American Mahjong.) As “grandma hobbies” become increasingly popular among the digitally fried—think: needlepointing, bread baking, and vision boarding—brands are adapting accordingly. And right now, playing a good ol’ fashioned board game has never been more, well, fashionable.
My college friends and I decided to sign up for a Mahjong lesson after finding it near impossible to meet up without a birthday, engagement, or housewarming attached. I showed up to our hosts’ apartment expecting a gray-haired lady in a rocking chair to teach us the tile game on plastic folding tables—what greeted us instead was a 25-year-old girl with a slick back bun wearing a cheetah print denim jacket, standing beside two decadently-set hot pink game boards. Meet Hasie Sherman and her twin sister Clara, founders of the company So Bam Fun, bringing Mahjong to the masses.
Indeed, their playful approach to the heritage game has amassed a swath of excitable new followers. “Young people are trying so hard to get away from the use of technology,” Clara tells Vogue, emphasizing the impetus to find community within the game instead of coming home and doom-scrolling for hours. “Sitting at a mahjong table with three other people is an opportunity to not look at your phone—you have to always be focused on the card.”
The sisters have pinpointed New York as the city with the most voracious appetite for the game, as a city obsessed with post-work rituals and creative pursuits, as well as one with sizeable East Asian and Southeast Asian diaspora communities. A major force behind the new wave of interest in Mahjong from younger generations is Green Tile Social Club: founded by four Asian American friends in 2022, it’s quickly become one of NYC’s largest groups, hosting weekly Cantonese-style Mahjong games and legendary Lunar New Year parties.
Social clubs implementing elements of board gaming more broadly have popped up all over Manhattan: Tanya Taylor recently celebrated her brand Delphine with a poker party. During New York Fashion Week, while Kim Shui and Hudson Williams recently hosted a Lunar New Year party where mahjong games fired away in each booth of Chinese Tuxedo.
Following suit, fashion houses have been upping the ante, crafting Mahjong boards that are practically miniature art pieces—as practical to be played with as they are beautiful to look at. Louis Vuitton sells a logo-covered vanity that opens up to a full mahjong set. Aerin offers a shagreen version with brass hardware. Hermès created a chest of tiles within a sumptuous calfskin box, and Brunello Cucinelli has its own design finished with Italian walnut wood.
For those unwilling to spend $15,000 on a game board, however, consider shopping from small businesses dedicated to Mahjong making: The Asian-owned Bo Mei offers Mahjong Together, a set designed to teach families from ages three to 103. Oh My Mahjong can be spotted on every TikTok Mahj-core FYP, supplying Gen Z with their fix. Bam Bird Boutique offers tortoise snack bowls to match their tile racks. Jonathan Adler sells lacquered mahjong boxes fit for a coffee table display, and Mark Graham has engraveable versions for a foolproof, thoughtful gift.
But the tiles, however intricate, are only as powerful as the hands moving them. “What’s so amazing about this game is that it spans all generations, bringing together people from all walks of life,” Hasie notes. While lacquered mats and hand-engraved tiles make for a viral photo op, when four people sit down across from each other to engage in a game centuries old, the uniting force is felt rather than seen. “Our grandma is 88, and she is still playing Mahjong with her college friends!” Hasie adds.
So, to my college friends, if you’re reading this, shall we get a date on the books for 2086? I’ll bring the Chandon.
