- Sam Gouveia, 9, surprised his dad, Aaron, with a custom handmade shirt.
- A video of the sweet moment has been viewed millions of times on TikTok.
Aaron Gouveia of Franklin, Massachusetts, was shocked when his 9-year-old son, Sam, gifted him a button-down shirt he had sewn himself.
A TikTok video, which has been viewed over 15.8 million times, lets viewers see the heartwarming moment Aaron received the homemade gift.
"It looks like something you'd buy at the store — it's really incredible," Aaron told Insider.
@daddyfiles Sam made me a shirt! Wow. #sewing #sewingtiktok #samsewgood #boyswhosew #parenting #raisingboys ♬ original sound - Aaron
"I did the buttons and I did the buttonholes," Sam says in the video. "I got some help but I did most of it by myself," he adds.
The shirt, which is navy blue with a white floral pattern, has lapels that Aaron noted were reminiscent of styles from the 1970s. The video shows him trying it on while praising his son's work.
"It's so far outside of my own abilities as a 43-year-old-adult," he told Insider. "I just didn't really think that a 9 year old could do that, but Sam definitely delivered."
Viewers of the video agreed, with one writing, "I have a degree in fashion design. That there is raw, natural talent. That kid is going places if he pursues sewing!"
This wasn't Sam's first sewing project
Although Sam has been in sewing classes for over a year, his interest in the craft can be, in part, attributed to a familial influence — although not his dad's.
"I am the antithesis of fashion," Aaron said. "I am a typical, cargo-shorts-wearing, middle-aged dad. I am textbook not-stylish."
Instead, the sewing gene comes from Sam's great aunt, Val, who is a seamstress. "She has been sewing my whole life," Aaron said. "We have handmade blankets and pillows and clothes."
After she worked with Sam on his first item, "I started sewing more and more," he said.
Now enrolled in sewing classes with Jennifer Vacca at the Franklin Mill Store in the Gouveia family's hometown, he has made shirts, pillowcases, pajama pants for his brother, and he even sewed an entire dress for his cousin.
"I was surprised [by his abilities], but I guess I shouldn't be because the dress he made for his cousin, Addison, was really unbelievable," Aaron said. "I mean, it had zippers on it. It was really impressive."
But one project stands out as one of Sam's all-time favorites. "I make a lot of scrunchies because I think those are pretty cool," he said.
Sam hopes this is just the beginning of his fashion career
Sam wants to be a fashion designer when he grows up.
"I really like fashion," he told Insider, adding that Calvin Klein is his fashion icon.
But when it comes to his personal sense of fashion, Sam keeps it comfortable and simple. "My fashion style is, like, I would say, sweatpants and a sweatshirt," he said.
As his son focuses on his designing dreams, Aaron is grateful for the support from TikTok viewers.
"Sam reads the comments, and I think it gives him a great boost of self esteem," Aaron said. "And so we're really appreciative of all the kindness people have shown us."