‘Project Runway’ alum Samuel J. Donovan joins Brookfield’s Cotton Candy Fabrics
Former “Project Runway” contestant Samuel J. Donovan is now the director of garment sewing at Cotton Candy Fabrics in Brookfield.
Donovan has taught garment sewing classes at Cotton Candy Fabrics for “some years,” he said, but in his new role as director, Donovan will teach classes in apparel sewing and fashion design.
He will also help teach others about sewing culture as more people across ages, cultures and genders “reconnect with creating their own clothing” and curate fabric, notions and patterns for apparel sewing. “When Erin Byrne (owner of Cotton Candy Fabrics) expanded Cotton Candy’s space to what is twice the size than what it was, she also wanted to expand in garment sewing,” said Donovan.
“We kept in contact during the pandemic and always went back and forth with ideas and having me come in to teach.”
Donovan currently lives in Massachusetts. He graduated from Parsons School of Design in May 2013 with a bschelor of fine arts in fashion design.
He was on “Project Runway: Under the Gunn” in 2014, during which he was runner-up but lost to Oscar Lopez. He then went on “Project Runway: All Stars” season five and placed fourth.
“It was a great experience and I even talk about my experience during class at Cotton Candy,” he said.
Cotton Candy Fabrics is a fabric and quilt shop at 457 Federal Road in Brookfield that offers online shopping of quilting cotton, batiks and flannel with notions, and patterns/ books.
The shop also features a classroom with state-ofthe-art technology and Bernina sewing machines.
“Sewing was a necessary skill through the pandemic as sewists came to the rescue in making masks. Now is a time for people to take that ability to the next level,” said Byrne. “Adding Sam to our team of amazing teachers allows our current and prospective customers the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skill.”
For Donovan, Cotton Candy Fabrics gives him the opportunity to grow his passion for helping others rekindle a relationship with their clothing.
He said he wants to bring the passion for creating fashion back into the current era.
“We all have an eye and a taste level for clothing, and while the process of creating a garment from scratch might seem like witchcraft, the end result always feels like pure magic,” Donovan said.
When teaching garment sewing at Cotton Candy, his main goal is for people to leave with something they made and feeling confident.
“We have people of all ages come in who have never sewn a garment before but then leave with finished products and can’t believe they did it,” said Byrne. “Opening a pattern can be scary, but Sam has a gift of simplifying it and making it easy and fun for everyone.”