Debra Rapoport is a New-York City based senior fashion designer who has been making sustainable couture and statement fashion pieces since she was in school in the 1960s. Back then, her practice of using recycled materials and found objects was a necessity as she couldn’t afford to buy new materials. However, now Rapoport uses found materials that she collects from her daily life in New York City to create pieces that are an ode to life in the vibrant city. This is why the work that Rapoport does is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Responsible Consumption and Production.
Rapoport has now taken her practice to the next level by focusing on sustainability in millinery, or the practice of hat making. She finds that hats constructed from found materials allows her to create new hat shapes and structures, liberating her millinery practice from recognizable traditional hat designs such as the bowler or the fedora. At times Rapoport’s hat designs may seem silly, and yet she embraces the playfulness of her designs. Rapoport affirms that in these turbulent times, finding balance between joy, innovation and social and environmental advocacy is imperative.
According to a 2022 report by the Public Interest Research Group, manufacturers and retailers in the United States waste 13 million tonnes of clothing every year, a number that has steadily increased over the years. The global fashion industry as a whole has also been known to generate 92 million tonnes of waste a year, most of which end up in landfills. This is why fashion forward efforts such as Rapoport’s are imperative, as they balance innovative fashion design with innovative sustainable production methods.
Debra Rapoport’s whimsical and sustainable millinery practice redefines hat-making by transforming found objects into innovative designs that celebrate joy, creativity and environmental responsibility. By upcycling materials from her life in New York City, Rapoport challenges traditional hat forms and brings awareness to the staggering waste generated by the fashion industry, which discards millions of tonnes of clothing annually. Her hats embody a balance between artistic expression and social advocacy, inspiring a shift toward a more sustainable and imaginative future in fashion which can already be seen in how her pieces have been collected by renowned museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The MET) and the MAD Museum (Museum of Art and Design) Los Angeles.
Find out more about hats and other pieces by Debra Rapoport on her Instagram @debrarapoport.