FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW YORK–October 15. 2024–Brooks Brothers, America’s longest-established retailer, partnered with national nonprofit Braven to launch its back-to-school campaign. The campaign, which aimed to raise awareness of their partnership’s impact and raise funds for Braven, launched on August 1st and ran through Labor Day in all 170 national retail and factory stores. And, it was successful on both fronts, raising nearly $70,000 for Braven to advance its mission.
Braven and Brooks Brothers have been collaborating since the Spring of 2022 when Brooks Brothers sponsored a work-based learning case competition for Braven Fellows at Lehman College. Fellows worked in teams to develop innovative solutions for the company. Braven empowers promising, underrepresented college students with the skills, confidence, experiences, and networks necessary to transition from college to strong first economic opportunities (i.e. strong jobs and entry into graduate school).
Winners of this case competition were selected by members of Brooks Brothers’ executive team and got to attend an in-store event in August 2022. Then again in Spring 2023, Brooks Brothers served as the Capstone sponsor for Fellows at The City College of New York.
“As a first-generation college graduate myself, I value the work that Braven does in preparing students for their future careers,” said Ken Ohashi, CEO of Brooks Brothers. “This campaign supports underrepresented college students on the path to a strong career that will create their own American success story.”
In 2013, Braven started out as a pilot with 17 students, and has since served more than 10,000 Fellows at eight innovative colleges and universities nationwide and through BravenX. In 2023, 777 Braven Fellows earned a bachelor’s degree. This new class is outpacing their peers nationally in strong job attainment by 17 percentage points (60% vs 43%) within six months of graduation.
When students are given access to information capital and networks as well as the opportunity to practice professional skills, the American promise is attainable within semesters: 76% of Braven graduates are already outearning their parents at the same age in their first job out of college.
“Employer partners like Brooks Brothers play a big role in supporting Braven Fellows,” says Aimée Eubanks Davis, Founder and CEO of Braven. “We are so incredibly grateful for Brooks Brothers’ support, not only through this campaign but also through all of the ways in which their staff volunteer their time and talents throughout the program.”
“I’ve witnessed firsthand the impact Ken and his team have had here in New York City and am thrilled to see the partnership beginning to have national reach,” shared Kilsys Payamps-Roure, Founding Executive Director of Braven in New York City. “On a personal note, Ken has been an invaluable thought partner in scaling our reach and impact.”
To learn more about Braven and its impact, visit braven.org. To donate, visit braven.org/donate/ or donate through our www.brooksbrothers.com or find a store close to you.
ABOUT BRAVEN
Founded in 2013, Braven empowers promising, underrepresented young people—first-generation college students, students from low-income backgrounds, and students of color—with the skills, confidence, experiences, and networks necessary to transition from college to strong first jobs. Braven is embedded within institutions of higher education and partners with employers to build cutting-edge career education into the undergraduate experience for low-income and first-generation college goers and provides students with a network of supporters and a sense of belonging. Braven Fellows are persisting in college and achieving exciting levels of internship and job attainment. For more information about Braven, visit bebraven.org.
ABOUT BROOKS BROTHERS
Brooks Brothers is a legendary global lifestyle brand that has shaped American style through fashion innovation, fine quality, exceptional service and value. Since its founding in 1818, the brand’s offerings have grown to more than 30 categories, including tailored clothing, sportswear, outerwear, shoes, accessories, fragrance and a home collection. Brooks Brothers also continues to introduce modern interpretations of iconic product staples including seersucker, madras, argyle, the non-iron shirt and the original polo button-down collar. The brand is available in 500 freestanding stores, shop-in-shops and outlets in 45 countries worldwide.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Arthur Wayne
Brooks Brothers
VP of Creative Marketing & PR
AWayne@BrooksBrothers.com
Michell Costa
Brooks Brothers
Public Relations Manager
MCosta@BrooksBrothers.com
Kasia Kalata
Managing Director, Communications & Marketing
Braven
kasia.kalata@bebraven.org