Meet Kevin Brauer

I feel like most people on campus know him. You’ve probably seen him cheering at the basketball games with a huge smile on his face, giving tours around campus, or maybe you recognize his name from his own brand of ties that were being sold in the Spirit Shop last semester. Whatever you do on campus, it’s hard to not get to know this charismatic and charming guy. But if you don’t know who we’re talking about, keep reading!

 

Name: Kevin Brauer
Year: Freshman

Major: Business

Hometown: Milwaukee, WI

 

 

HCMU: Why’d you choose Marquette?

KB: It’s kind of a funny story. I actually didn’t think I was going to Marquette. For me personally, I was really looking for that college campus feel. I wanted to walk between classes and feel like I was actually at college. When I visited St. Thomas University, I was like, “Awesome. I’m gonna go here.” Then last year I was in Florida with my best friend at the time over spring break, and the whole time we were there I was trying not think about school and not figure out what college I had to go to. But Marquette was just sitting in the back of my head. It’s a family school — both of my parents went here, two out of my three older sisters went here for undergrad, my oldest sister went to grad school here, my grandparents went here, a few aunts and uncles, and I have a couple cousins here right now. It just felt like the right fit, plain and simple.

 

HCMU: What’s your favorite spot on campus?

KB: I really like being in the Central Mall area when it’s warm out, around Joan of Arc.

 

HCMU: What’s your favorite spot downtown?

KB: I’m a big fan of the Third Ward in general and going up and down along the river.

 

HCMU: What are you involved in on campus?

KB: I’m a cheerleader for Marquette. I had no cheer experience, but one of my best friends is a senior on the team and he was like, “Kev, are you going out for the team?” and I was like, “Why would I do that? No girl is gonna trust me to throw her in the air and catch her.” But they do now which is good. I’m also a tour guide.

 

HCMU: What are you involved in off campus?

KB: I own my own business, Upties. I started that last year as a senior in high school. Over the summer, I’m a theater camp instructor through my high school. I’m a choreographer.

 

 

HCMU: Tell us about your business.

KB: The idea of Upties is the up-cycling of old button down shirts into neckties and bowties. The idea very randomly popped into my head. In 2014, we had a bunch of clothes that we were going to drop off at Goodwill. One of my old shirts was sitting on top of the pile. I really liked the look of it. I liked the pattern, but it was way too small and I knew I couldn’t wear it. I looked at it and I have this image of me staring into the office, staring at the shirt and I’m looking at my mom saying, “Do you think we could make a necktie out of that?” She’s like, “Kevin, I don’t know. Talk to your aunt.” Her sister sews and quilts. I went to her and I was like, “I want to make a tie out of this shirt.” I gave the idea to my two best friends and they gave me two of their own shirts. I went to my aunt and we made a few ties.

I still didn’t really know where that was going; I didn’t think it was going to turn into anything. Then my parents started talking to people and word got around. It ended up being me and three of my best friends at the time hand-sewing neckties in my parents’ basement. Now I don’t do that. I have a seamstress who makes all of them now. It turned into this brand. Word got around really quickly. It got around school. It got around Marquette. I got my ties into the Spirit Shop last semester. That was fun and cool.

That same friend of mine on the cheer team needed to make a website for one of his classes and he asked me if I’d be okay with him making a site on the ties. I was like, “Okay. Sure!” It’s free publicity really. He made the first website for Upties which was fun. That first website was very simple. It was text and pictures of the ties. A group of friends and I did a photoshoot down at the Third Ward in the middle of the winter — we were freezing. On the site there’s also a line of bracelets. I partnered with Alpha Xi Delta and if you buy a bracelet, $10 of that order will go to Autism Speaks, which is their philanthropy. As of right now we have about $500 donated to Autism Speaks which is cool. Now it’s turning a new leaf. The last couple months have been kind of slow, just with me getting into the swing of things at school. I think it’s finding new energy with that so I’ve been focusing a lot more on that recently.

 

HCMU: Do you have any advice for aspiring business owners?

KB: If they’re in the position of “I’m in school and I have to focus on that. I’m too young and people aren’t going to take me seriously,” prove them wrong. Set your mind to prove them wrong and go for it. I think especially for students, school is one of the best times to try to start a business. If it ends up failing it’s okay; learn from it and move on. Start another one. Just keep pushing through it. If they have something going and they’re struggling, I would stay persistent. It’s going to take time.

 

HCMU: What’s your dream job?
KB: I have two dream jobs. One is to keep doing what I’m doing and be a full blown entrepreneur: starting my own things, running my own things. I want to be able to give jobs to people. My second is to be an actor. I did theater in high school. I did 14 shows in four years. My big dream would to be a film actor in movies.

 

HCMU: Do you have a life motto?
KB: It high school it was “Always enjoy the little things.” I think it was sophomore year when I started to really appreciate sunsets. Sunsets are my thing. My Instagram bio is “Set goals. Smash the shit out of them. Repeat.” That’s my other motto.

 

HCMU: What’s a fun fact about you?

KB: I have two middle names: Michael (after my dad) and McDermott. It’s very Irish. It’s from my mom’s side.

 

Thanks, Kevin!