Posted: July 7, 2009

Nate Braun didn't really start drawing until his junior year of high school.

He had long nurtured a knack for drawing people, but it was a talent few others knew about. Braun was a football player, and football players aren't supposed to draw women wearing long, elaborate gowns. He was afraid his friends would make fun of his hobby, ridicule his art.

As he progressed through Pius XI High School in Milwaukee, Braun began to realize how much he enjoyed drawing and decided to pursue it. His friends didn't laugh - they were impressed.

Since then, the Brookfield resident has swapped football for fashion, and his hobby has turned into a career path.

"Somehow I just fell into the field of fashion," Braun said.

Thanks to that fall, the 2009 Pius XI graduate recently was named the Fashion Designer of Tomorrow by the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. As part of the award, the Los Angeles-based school is giving Braun a one-year scholarship.

Designing with a twist

Despite having received a Marquette University Award of Excellence for an earlier design portfolio, Braun was shocked when he found out he had won the FIDM contest. More than 700 applicants from 35 countries vied for the scholarship, and Braun said he doubted his chances.

"The suspense was killing me. I kind of got this feeling in the back of my head, like some other kid won. No big deal," he said.

Braun was so doubtful, he did not believe it when Steve Aaron, assistant director of admissions at FIDM, called to tell him he had been chosen for the scholarship.

Aaron was not joking, and Braun screamed for joy.

Braun's winning entry followed the contest rules, but with a twist. School officials wanted a collection of three design sketches, but Braun knew he would have to get creative to make his work "pop." He said he wondered "how I could do what they wanted, but put my own take on it."

So he drew his designs and made them into 3D cutouts.

Aaron said Braun's contest entry was exactly what the judges were looking for.

"This young gentleman is one of the most talented students I've had the pleasure of meeting in the 25 years I've been working here," Aaron said.

Dedicated to bright future

Braun found out about FIDM at an open house at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. While showing off his design portfolio to interested schools, he ran into representatives from FIDM just before leaving. He visited other campuses around the country, but said he fell in love with FIDM's facilities, students and faculty.

Braun said he is looking forward to learning from the school's teachers, many of whom also work in the fashion design field.

"It's really good to get a sense of what I'm doing from someone who has actually done it themselves," he said.

With any luck, he'll eventually design gowns, cocktail dresses or runway pieces for one of his favorite designers, Alexander McQueen or Valentino. Braun said he is confident that his education will help him improve his work.

Judging from the 40-year-old school's list of noteworthy graduates, he has reason to be confident. Past students include fashion designers like Pamela Skaist Levy of Juicy Couture and Academy Award-nominated costume designers like Marlene Stewart, whose recent work was featured in the movies "Night at the Museum" and "Tropic Thunder."

FYI

For information about the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, visit fidm.edu.