Twenty Eighth & May: Inside Jacob Lutito-Koch’s Vision For Branding & Creativity

There is an intersection we often hit in life, and that space converges who you are and who you are becoming. Jacob Lutito-Koch, founder of Twenty Eighth & May, is building a brand that combines nostalgia and novelty, allowing all to experience a sense of wonder and comfort through its distinct upcoming collections.

As a brand based on feelings, the seasons and storytelling, Twenty Eighth & May is a love letter to the multi-faceted creative. Koch, being a creative chameleon himself, comes from a background in brand storytelling and creating art and a feeling for various genres across different brands. His passion and desire to exercise his creativity led him to step into his own vision and allow himself full creative control through the emergence of Twenty Eighth & May.

“I want to be a connector for people… I want that to really shine through,” said Koch. “I think that it’s important to not have just a beautiful brand – that’s one thing, but when a brand can tell a story, it’s something else.”

Centered on the idea of creativity and feeling like something new can be found just around the corner, Twenty Eighth & May aims to break the mold of traditional brand collections and will not stay in one lane (so to speak). Each mini collection will vary between different themes and will not only center one genre (like apparel and clothing) but will unfold into several products based on the given theme, according to the season of the year as well.

The first signature collection, titled ‘Home,’ pays homage to Denver, where Koch was born and raised. Over the years, Denver has certainly gotten a facelift, so much so that many who have grown up here are shocked by the city’s ongoing evolution. For Koch, there is a beautiful balance between admiring what is and cherishing what was. With fond memories of growing up in Arvada with his family, ‘Home’ encapsulates what makes this city so special.

“For me, home has always been Denver. I was born and raised here, grew up in Arvada, and that was just something really important to me because I wanted to incorporate old Denver,” shared Koch. There are stories of old Denver that I have gotten to experience from my grandparents and my parents, who were both born and raised here as well, and just pay homage to them in a modern way.”

So far, this collection includes an oversized 100% cotton sweatshirt designed with embroidered city landmarks and a bold red ‘Denver’ on the center front, accompanied by a tagline underneath that says ‘A mile above the rest’. The sweatshirt also features an embroidered red ‘28th’ on the cuff. The design itself feels vintage and classic Denver, a relic to be passed down through the years to come or something to be cherished and collected. 

The Denver Sweater and other ‘Home’ products will be available to purchase at the annual HoliGay Market December 6-7. Itching for creativity and community, the market has since brought together hundreds of queer-owned businesses for the holiday season since 2022. Not only has this market given these business owners a platform to reach their community and new consumers, but it also provides them a safe and welcoming space to thrive and rally together.

“It’s so important right now, this community is under attack all the time, [in addition to] any kind of marginalized group or anybody who is different. It’s just been so cool to see how the community rallies together,” Koch said  

Over the past three years, Koch has vended at this market, selling his homemade baked goods inspired by his Italian upbringing. However, this year is different for him in so many ways. Not only is he co-hosting for the second time this year, but the market is open for a full weekend with over 45 different vendors each day. Koch will be releasing the Twenty Eighth & May products to the community during the market.

The idea of making this collection accessible to the community in person first continues to deepen the novelty and communal aspect of this brand. For Koch, the future and growth of Twenty Eighth & May will continue to cross all intersections and invite everyone, especially marginalized groups, to walk along the journey of storytelling and culture. Koch shared he plans to “collaborate with queer-owned, women-owned, and POC-owned businesses. I think that we are obligated to lift each other up.”

Koch is looking forward to the seasons and collections to come. As a person who attunes himself to living “seasonally,” the yearning for newness is what excites Koch to get started on the Twenty Eighth & May Spring collection while still keeping joy and intention at the forefront.

 “I feel very connected to the different seasons and so incorporating those into the different collections is going to be kind of a must because that’s really authentic to the brand,” Koch said.

What Koch has built is a reminder that creativity doesn’t move in straight lines. It loops, returns, expands and follows an inner feeling. Twenty Eighth & May embraces that truth wholeheartedly. With ‘Home,’ the brand launches with a sense of reverence for the past and excitement for what’s next, inviting others to step inside and find meaning in the details.

As the seasons shift and new collections emerge, Koch hopes the brand becomes a companion for anyone navigating their own intersections between memory and imagination, identity and aspiration. Because at its core, Twenty Eighth & May is a brand where stories are honored, communities are uplifted and new chapters are always just beginning.

For those itching to get their hands on the Denver Sweatshirt and the additional ‘Home’ collection products, the brand’s website will officially launch on December 8, with products available to order online at www.28thandmay.com.