David Rappaport (June 6, 1914 – April 5, 2010) was an American fashion manufacturer, designer and
painter
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...
.
Early life
David Rappaport was born in
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...
as the son of
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
n-born
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
clothing cutter, Joseph Rappaport, and his wife Sophie. Growing up on the
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets.
Traditionally an im ...
, his family struggled to survive, especially during the strike of
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA) was a United States labor union known for its support for "social unionism" and progressive political causes. Led by Sidney Hillman for its first thirty years, it helped found the Congress of Ind ...
. His father tried to supplement earnings as a door-to-door salesman and was accompanied by his son.
Though he aspired to become a medical doctor, David Rappaport began to work to support his younger siblings. At age seventeen, he was hired by a friend of the family at a necktie manufacturing company. He was later hired as a packer of neckwear collections in the Midwestern sales division. At night, he attended the
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college in New York City. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) and focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. It ...
high school of textile design.
[Kriska, Jerome: Damon's. ''Daily News Record''. 1972-08-01. 2009-07-31.]
Business career
In 1934, aged 20, David Rappaport borrowed $700 and with his brother, Mannie, founded his own company, ''Staple Neckwear Co.'', which he described as "the smallest neckwear firm in the United States". Selling modest designs and "solid color and classic striped" ties, the company shipped $17,000 worth of neckwear in the first year and annually increased the output by 20%.
[Rappaports Are Rothchilds of Knitwear. ''Women’s Wear Daily''. 1966-08-03.]
In 1937 the company changed its name to ''David Creations'' but after legal threats by the ''John David'' chain, they adopted the name ''Damon Creations, Inc.'', a loose conjunction of their first names.
Since 1937, Rappaport designed a group of English striped repps combining three colours in eighteen different combinations. He began matching blue and gold in stripe patterns. In 1942, the Rappaports introduced knitted ties to his brand.
In 1961, the ladies' knitwear division ''Francesca of Damon'' was founded under the creative control of David Rappaport's wife Francesca.
[''The Newberry Observer and Herald & News''. 1973-07-24.] ''Damon Creations'' went public in 1967.
Damon's first TV commercial was released in 1968, the same year the company released two new lines of men's apparel. By 1969, the full product line of the company included neckwear, knitted Italian and Domestic shirts, sweaters and jackets. The merchandise also featured an Milano collar with a wide stay, antique leather and wool knit jackets.
The company's volume rose from 8.7 million in 1964 to 25 million in 1973. Having previously manufactured mostly in Italy, Damon acquired domestic plants and subsidiaries in the United States, opened a distribution center in
North Bergen
North Bergen is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a total population of 63,361. The township was founded in 1843. It was much diminished in territory by a ...
,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
and moved into a larger plant in
Long Island City
Long Island City (LIC) is a residential and commercial neighborhood on the extreme western tip of Queens, a borough in New York City. It is bordered by Astoria to the north; the East River to the west; New Calvary Cemetery in Sunnyside to the ...
. By 1973, Damon Creations had 23 showrooms in 14 cities with 4,500 sales accounts.
Each color pattern was then entered into a computer database that did an analysis of its popularity and gave a sales projection based upon past records.
Michael Rappaport, David's son, became president of Damon Creations and his father remained chairman of the board.
In 1988, after 54 years, David Rappaport sold his interest in the business. The company was merged with Enro Industries.
Honours
In 1956, David Rappaport was named an honorary alumni of
Brandeis University
, mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = NECHE
, president = Ronald D. Liebowitz
, pro ...
.
In 1969, he was awarded the
Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity
The Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity ( it, Stella della solidarietà italiana ) was founded as a national order by the first President of the Italian Republic, Enrico De Nicola, in 1947, to recognise civilian and military expatriates or ...
with the title
Commendatore
Commendatore (singular), Commendatori (plural), is an Italian word originating from the latin phrase In commendam and meaning "Commander". It may refer to:
Position, rank, title
* Commander (order) ( it, Commendatore), the title of honour "Command ...
for strengthening commercial relations between the United States and Italy.
[Isidore Immerman. "1976 Man of the Year". ''Newsweek'' 1976.]
In 1972, Rappaport was honoured by the ''Brotherhood Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Human Relations'', presented by the ''
National Conference of Christians and Jews
The National Conference for Community and Justice is an American social justice organization focused on fighting biases and promoting understanding between people of different races and cultures.
The organization was founded in 1927 as the Natio ...
'', by the ''Order of the Palmetto'', by Governor
John C. West
John Carl West Sr. (August 27, 1922 – March 21, 2004) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the 109th governor of South Carolina from 1971 to 1975. From 1977 to 1981, he was the United States ambassador to Saudi Arabia ...
of South Carolina, and the ''25th State of Israel Anniversary Award'' for his
bond donations to the foundation of Israel.
In 1976, he was voted "Man of the Year" by the ''Associated Men's Wear Retailers of New York'' for his philanthropic work, which also included support for the
United Jewish Appeal
The United Jewish Appeal (UJA) was a Jewish philanthropic umbrella organization that existed from its creation in 1939 until it was folded into the United Jewish Communities, which was formed from the 1999 merger of United Jewish Appeal (UJA), Cou ...
, the
Association for the Help of Retarded Children, the
National Jewish Hospital
National Jewish Health is a Denver, Colorado academic hospital/clinic doing research and treatment in respiratory, cardiac, immune and related disorders. It is an internationally respected medical center that draws people from many countries to ...
, the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies, the
City of Hope,
B'nai B'rith
B'nai B'rith International (, from he, בְּנֵי בְּרִית, translit=b'né brit, lit=Children of the Covenant) is a Jewish service organization. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the security and continuity of the Jewish peopl ...
,
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States specializing in civil rights law. It was founded in late Septe ...
, Boys Town of Italy. He also helped found Temple Sholom of New Milfold, Connecticut and the
University of Haifa
The University of Haifa ( he, אוניברסיטת חיפה Arabic: جامعة حيفا) is a university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation in 1972, becoming Is ...
.
In 1977, Rappaport received the ''Annual Achievement Award'' of the ''Textile Veterans Association'' for his work in civic and philanthropic endeavors.
Artistic career
After his retirement from business in 1988, Rappaport dedicated himself full-time to painting. His work combines patterns and fabric and uses offset geometric units that also involve color schemes.
[E. Lea; E. Rappaport,]
David Rappaport: The Artist
Black Tie International Magazine 2002-09-10. (PDF) Rappaport has been described as the "master of hues and tones" and as "having an impeccable taste and eye for design". Rappaport stated: "You must be creative, understand color and how one color affects another color."
[David Roberts. "David Rappaport - A Master of Hues and Tones. Additional sourcing information unclear from pdf ]
In 1997, aged 83, Rappaport was discovered as a painter when Tom Kalenderian of
Barneys New York
Barneys New York Inc. is an American luxury brand founded in New York City in 1923. It has introduced major designers including Armani, Azzedine Alaïa, Comme des Garçons, Christian Louboutin, and Ermenegildo Zegna to the US market.
Barneys N ...
visited Rappaport's studio to shop his neckwear line. Kalenderian suggested showing them to Simon Doonan, Barney's creative director. Three months later, sixteen of his paintings were displayed along with designer men's fashions.
[N. Brozan,"Chronicle", ''New York Times''. 1997-10-13.]
In 2002, Rappaport's exhibit "Not For Sale" opened at the ''Taller Boricua Gallery'',
tallerboricua.org
/ref> which showcased over eighty pieces completed since 1989, including work he had done after his stroke.Hebrew Union College
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
. One of Rappaport's paintings was also featured in the book ''The Art of Aging'', which was published upon the launch of the gallery showing by the United Jewish Communities
The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), formerly the United Jewish Communities (UJC), is an American Jewish umbrella organization representing 146 Jewish Federations and 300 independent Jewish communities across North America, which rais ...
.
References
External links
Official websiteobituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rappaport, David
American fashion designers
1914 births
2010 deaths
Menswear designers
People from the Lower East Side
Fashion Institute of Technology alumni