As fashion designers exhibiting talent in choosing high quality textiles as well as exhibiting a high taste level in textiles are as important as technical and artistic skill. The first thing a customer often notices in a garment is the fabric and the color. A designers fabric and color choice can often make or break the success in a clothing design. As I travel domestically and internationally, I am always on the hunt for great fabrics. But you do not always have to travel or live in a large city to find great fabrics. Increasingly as local retail fabric stores are either being downgraded, just carrying "crafting" type fabrics or low quality fabrics, often shopping locally is not the best option. Online the young designer is offered a vast amount of options in fabric and trim shopping. I often order online but always allow time get pre-liminary swatches first. I advise to order swatches before purchasing your final cut of fabric, if at all possible. Some sites are great at giving descriptions but others can be very vague. Colors and weight can also vary from site to site. And often a "newbie" (as I was "once upon a time") is unfamiliar with fabric types, so swatching is imperative. I like to also find out how long the swatches will take to arrive and how long the fabric will take to arrive once I order online. Some companies/sites will let you buy just a swatch and others will allow you to purchase a minimum amount. Its definetely worth it in the end.
Here are a few of my favorite companies and sites .. . . . . . Create and Inspire
Mood Fabrics/New York City
This fabric store most famous for being the fabric store of choice for Project Runway in NYC has a great and highly organized website. You can order swatches, get care instructions for fabrics, and also see detailed descriptions in their library of fabric types. Their selection of fabrics are very fashion forward and they often have leftover stock from high end fashion desgners.
http://www.moodfabrics.com/
High Fashion Fabrics/Houston, Texas
The best fabric store in Houston also has a great website. They specialize in formal and bridal fabrics. and laces. Their prices can be high but they specialize in selling fabrics and trims that can't be purchased at this quality at the retail level. Many of these fabrics and trims are only sold at the wholesale level to professional designers. It is rumored that Beyonce has had many of her stage costumes made from High Fashion Fabrics.
http://www.highfashionfabrics.com/
Thai Silks
This online fabric store hosts over 1400 silk fabrics from Thailand, China, India, and Korea.
Truly beautiful fabrics. One of my favorite sources . . .
http://www.thaisilks.com/
Exotic India
Gorgeous Borders and Yardage of Indian fabrics. Some pieces are only 6" wide, so look closely at the width you are purchasing . . .
http://www.exoticindiaart.com/textiles/Fabrics/
Denver Fabrics
This website hosts over 100 categories of fabrics. The fashion relevance is hit and miss but this site has many options for mostly casual sportswear related fabrics.
http://www.denverfabrics.com/
Fabric.Com
An online store that specializes in average quality and lower priced sportswear fabrics. They are "home sewing" based but can be helpful when you are trying to find a specific casual or dancewear/costume fabric.
http://www.fabric.com/
Distinctive Fabrics
A unique fabric selection at great prices. Stock includes silks, velvets, lycra knits, specialty fabrics, and more......
http://www.distinctivefabric.com/category.php
House Fabrics
This website hosts home decorating fabrics and a good selection of bridal fabrics. An odd combination but this site contains variety in fabric type as well...... Worth a look through their library.
http://www.housefabric.com/Default.aspx
The Fabric Fairy
This varied and interesting website hosts wovens, knits, specialty trim items, novelty prints, Eurpopean and Japanese fabrics and more .. . .
http://www.thefabricfairy.com/fabrics.html
Mendel's Far Out Fabrics/Haight Street San Francisco
If anyone remembers the "far out" history of Haight Street in San Francisco, the fabric selection on this site will make perfect sense. . . . Interesting prints and some hard to find fabrics . . ..
http://www.mendels.com/creativity2.shtml
Britex Fabrics/San Francisco
This high end store and website has luxurious fabrics and trims. You can find high quality lace trims, buttons, ribbons, silks, wools, cottons, rainwear fabrics and much more . . .
http://www.britexfabrics.com/
Spoonflower
This creative and ingenious site allows you to create your own prints or buy prints designed by other designers. If your print is sold, you receive a percentage of the profits. Wonderfully creative prints on this site . .. . I would definetely order a test swatch before running yardage. They offer a variety of fabric choices for your prints.
http://www.spoonflower.com/welcome
M&J Trimmings/New York City
M&J Trimming is the premier store in NYC that fashion designers use to purchase the latest trimming items. On any given day you can see the assistants of Anna Sui, Betsey Johnson, or Donna Karan searching for the hottest trends in trims. They have a great website as well . . .
http://www.mjtrim.com/
M & S Schmalberg/New York City
This fabric flower manufacturer is one of the last domestic flower manufacturers in the fashion business. They make custom flowers for designers such as Christian Siriano, Betsey Johnson, Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, and Anthroplogie to name a few . . . . . . They do not require a minimum order.
http://www.customfabricflowers.com/
RibbonSmyth
A great source for vintage and handworked creations. The site contains inspirational images as well as beads and a wonderful ribbon selection . . . .
http://ribbonsmyth.com/
Cam Creations
This site has a beautiful selection of beads, buttons, novelty notions, and ribbons. They will also dye to match (DTM) ribbon for your projects . . . .
http://www.silkribbon.com/
