'You can start fresh.' Norwalk designer honors sobriety through her designs

Devan Markiewicz is now the director of Cassie's Cottage, a sober living facility in Easton, but her passion for design continues, sewing and selling unique leather purses.

News 12 Staff

Apr 5, 2023, 9:38 PM

Updated 551 days ago

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A designer in Norwalk wants the world to see that sober can be sexy and stylish.
Devan Markiewicz loves to be the life of the party, but that looks a little different these days.
"You don't lose your cool because you are not able to drink or use drugs," said Markiewicz. "Recreationally, you actually receive a lot of sexiness by sobriety."
She spent her 20s working in fashion and soaking up Brooklyn's social scene.
"I was not able to turn it off, it eventually led me to be drinking at my jobs," said Markiewicz.
Markiewicz returned home to East Norwalk for treatment.
"What was a turning point in my recovery is that I made recovery my job and then I got a job in recovery," she said.
Markiewicz is now the director of Cassie's Cottage, a sober living facility in Easton, but her passion for design continues, sewing and selling unique leather purses.
"I just kind of drop hints into the business about my sobriety. On my social media, I do put in some slogans that I live by," she said. "Tell my own journey through the bags, but the bags are for everybody."
Her Instagram also illustrates sobriety's lively side.
"You can start fresh and live a life that is you and authentic that you love," she said.