About me

My name is DJ Schaefer. I started OTO Streetwear when I was 16, and now at 19, I’m on a mission to redefine what individuality really means.

Growing up, I always hated the idea of being average. I never wanted to blend in or follow a path just because everyone else was on it. But even with that mindset, I still found myself doing exactly that.

For all of my life, I played both basketball and lacrosse. At one point, I made a decision to focus entirely on basketball. I didn't quit lacrosse, but I wasn’t enjoying it the same way, and basketball became everything to me. The work, the routine, the identity, I fully committed to that path, just like everyone expected me to.

And for a while, it made sense.

But as senior year came closer, I started thinking deeper. Not just about the next season, but about my life, what I actually wanted, and whether the path I was on truly aligned with that.

That’s when I made a decision that didn’t make sense to even myself at the time.

I stepped away from pursuing basketball at the next level and reopened my recruitment for lacrosse. The sport I once almost walked away from became the path forward. It wasn’t expected. It wasn’t typical. But it was right.

That moment forced me to realize something important. Just because you’ve been on a path for years doesn’t mean you’re supposed to stay on it.

Around the same time, I was being asked what I wanted to do with my life. I didn’t have an answer. I tried to force one, looking into different careers just to have something figured out, but none of it felt real.

Because deep down, I knew I didn’t want a normal path.

I wanted to build something different.

So I went all in on OTO.

I started saying it out loud, I want to live off my brand. People questioned it. Some didn’t take it seriously. At first, that got to me, but eventually, I stopped caring.

Because being outta the ordinary isn’t comfortable.
It’s not always understood.
And it’s definitely not expected.

I started showing up every day. Posting. Creating. Building something that actually meant something to me. And I’m still doing that. I’m nowhere near where I want to be yet, but I’m committed to the process.

Today, I’m continuing my athletic career at Dominican University playing lacrosse, a path I never thought I’d come back to, while building a brand that represents thinking differently in every part of life.

OTO, Outta The Ordinary, isn’t just clothing.
It’s a mindset.

It’s about making decisions that don’t follow the script.
It’s about changing direction when something no longer aligns.
It’s about choosing your own path, even when it doesn’t make sense to anyone else.

Because the truth is, being outta the ordinary isn’t something you say.

It’s something you live.