IDENTITY PREVAILS FOR DEADBY5AM’S LATEST CAPSULE COLLECTION
FULL EDITORIAL FOR THEIR FW26 DELIVERY FOR THE CAF + INSIGHT FROM BRAND DIRECTION, BRENT SCHUMAKER.
Photography / Styling: Joshua J. Jenkins (@iosnua), Model: Cylus Anthony (@_novelboy)
DeadBy5am’s newest capsule collection is rooted in memory and identity, pulling from founder Brenton Schumaker’s lived experience and cultural curiosity to tell an evocative yet deeply vulnerable story. aPatchwork anchors the collection, both as a technique and a philosophy, reflecting the act of designing something entirely new from disparate fragments. Bold graphics, gritty camouflage and carefully constructed denim come together to create garments that convey the beauty of progress over perfection. What began as raw, intuitive creation has grown into a thoughtful visual language, one that understands its own textures, silhouettes and emotional weight. Revisiting the DB5 archive reveals a sharpening of designer Brenton’s instincts as the brand has evolved without losing its core ethos.
In a fashion landscape increasingly shaped by conservatism and uniformity, DeadBy5am embodies a commitment to counterculture and unapologetic self-expression. The brand offers space for people to show up fully, without dilution or compromise. DeadBy5am is also a testament to the power of the creative community. Through collaboration and connection, especially between creative hubs like the 860 and 203, DeadBy5am continues to help shape a creative economy rooted in authenticity, resistance and collective growth.
[Additional items included: Better Alive Than Dead and Szade Eyewear. Continue scrolling to read the full interview below.]
CAFETERIA: How has your brand aesthetic and vision grown over time since you first founded DeadBy5am?
BRENTON SCHUMAKER: When I started DeadBy5am, I was creating off instinct with whatever resources were available and whatever felt real in the moment because that’s what art was to me — taking the scraps and making beauty out of it. The aesthetic is still rooted in that energy, but now there’s more intention behind it. I understand my own language better — the textures, the silhouettes, the stories I want to tell. Going into the archive shows me how far the brand has come, but also how consistent the core has always been.
Can you expand on the visual story you’re telling through your designs, especially with the inclusion of bold graphics and patchwork in the current capsule collection?
BS: This capsule is about memory and identity. Patchwork has always been part of the brand, not just the look, but the idea of building something new from different pieces of experience and culture. I remember all the times I spent shooting dice and playing Cee-Lo or going to New York and seeing every store sell “I heart NY” tees and feeling how big the world was in those moments. The graphics and attitude together create a story that’s layered and lived in. It’s not perfect, it’s human.
As conservatism is trickling down into fashion and influencing the way people dress, why do you think brands like DeadBy5am are important in representing counterculture and non-normative forms of self-expression?
BS: Fashion is never safe or exempt from the state of the world and that’s why I love what we’ve built. DeadBy5am gives people space to express themselves without watering it down. Counterculture has always pushed things forward and right now, it’s important to keep that energy alive. I want people to feel like they can show up as their full selves even when the trend is moving toward uniformity.
Can you speak to the importance of forming a creative community, especially as a designer in Connecticut?
BS: You have to find your tribe. I would not have been able to accomplish the things I have if like-minded individuals didn’t find me and lift me up. Being in Connecticut means you have to build your own ecosystem. We don’t have the same resources as bigger cities, but I think of that as an advantage because now the people you do meet, their talents are so concentrated and their confidence is so high, it pushes you to meet your potential. Collaboration and support are what make ideas grow here. The people around you become your network, your motivatio, nyour foundation, your tribe, your family. Shout out to Noble Spell — rest in peace brother.
Why are connections between the 860 and 203, like DeadBy5am and The CAF, vital to encouraging a creative economy?
BS: We’re always supposed to work together, so connecting the 860 and 203 brings together creative pockets that have been working separately for a long time. When we link up, we expand opportunities for everyone. DeadBy5am and The CAF each represent their own city, but we share the same mission to build something real in Connecticut. When those worlds connect, it strengthens the creative economy and shows that our people don’t have to exist in isolation.