The Ultimate 2025 Guide To Stores In The Garment District New York: 17+ Must-Visit Fabric, Trim, And Specialty Shops
Stepping into the New York Garment District in late 2025 is like entering the vibrant, beating heart of American fashion—a critical hub where designers, costumers, and serious hobbyists source everything from luxurious silks to industrial-grade sewing equipment. While the area has seen shifts over the years, the core blocks between 35th and 40th Streets, from Sixth to Ninth Avenues, remain an unparalleled destination for textile and supply shopping. This updated guide is your essential map to navigating the best, most current stores, ensuring you find exactly what you need for your next creative project.
The district is not just about fabric; it is a dense ecosystem of specialized vendors. You will find world-famous fabric showrooms next door to tiny shops offering custom buttons, rare vintage trims, or specialized leather hides. Forget the generic craft store experience—the Garment District offers an overwhelming, but rewarding, wholesale and retail adventure that is essential for achieving a professional finish on any garment or accessory.
The Pantheon of Fabric: Flagship Stores and Designer Remnants
The quest for the perfect textile begins here. The Garment District’s reputation is built on its incredible density of fabric stores, offering everything from high-end designer remnants to budget-friendly bulk purchases. Knowing where to go for silk, wool, or specialty knits is key to a successful shopping trip.
- Mood Fabrics New York: Thanks to its fame from *Project Runway*, Mood (200 W 39th St) is the undisputed star. It is a multi-story mecca for every type of fabric imaginable, including a massive selection of high-end silks, wools, and specialty prints. They also feature a dedicated notions area and a separate leather and suede section.
- B&J Fabrics: A long-standing favorite for professional designers, B&J Fabrics (525 Seventh Ave) is known for its curated collection of high-quality, often designer-label, fabrics. Their selection is slightly more upscale and less overwhelming than Mood, making it a great stop for premium materials.
- Elliott Berman Textiles: Located on 39th Street, this store specializes in European and designer fabrics. Their collection is often ahead of the curve, offering the latest trends in fine textiles, particularly luxury silks and unique blends.
- Spandex House: If your project requires stretch, Spandex House (263 W 38th St) is the definitive destination. They offer an astonishing array of lycra, dancewear fabrics, vinyl, and stretch materials in every color and finish, catering heavily to the costume and athletic wear industries.
The Notions and Trimming Treasure Trove: Buttons, Ribbons, and Zippers
The difference between a good garment and a great one often comes down to the details. The Garment District excels in providing the finishing touches, housing specialty stores dedicated solely to notions, buttons, and trims that you simply cannot find anywhere else.
Essential Trimming and Notion Shops
These stores are crucial for finding the perfect zipper, button, or ribbon to elevate your design.
- M&J Trimming: Located near Sixth Avenue (1008 6th Ave), M&J is a powerhouse of ribbons, braids, appliques, and beads. They also have a separate, dedicated button store a couple of doors down, which is a must-visit for unique hardware and fasteners.
- Mokuba: A Japanese company specializing in the most luxurious and high-quality ribbons in the world. Mokuba (137 W 38th St) is the place to go for silk, velvet, and intricate patterned ribbons for haute couture or fine millinery.
- East Coast Trimming: A reliable source for a massive selection of zippers, threads, elastics, and general sewing hardware. They are known for their practical, bulk-friendly inventory, which is essential for production work.
- BeadKraft: For those needing embellishment, BeadKraft (22 W 37th St) is a premier supplier of beads, rhinestones, sequins, and jewelry findings. It is a key stop for costume designers and those creating heavily embellished garments.
- Toho Shoji: Another excellent resource for beads and findings, Toho Shoji offers a vast selection, often specializing in Japanese-made glass beads and high-quality jewelry components.
The Specialized Suppliers: Leather, Equipment, and Custom Services
The true depth of the Garment District's topical authority lies in its highly specialized vendors. These are the shops that cater to niche needs, from sourcing exotic hides to repairing industrial machinery.
Leather and Suede Specialists
While Mood carries leather, these stores are dedicated to providing a broader, more specialized range of hides and skins.
- Global Leathers: One of the largest leather suppliers in the district (253 W 35th St), Global Leathers offers a huge inventory of cowhide, lambskin, and exotic skins in various finishes, catering to both retail and wholesale customers.
- Leather Suede Skins, Inc.: Known for a wide variety of finishes and colors, they are a go-to for designers seeking specific textures and weights of leather and suede for apparel and accessory production.
- EDSIM Leather: Located in the heart of the Fashion District, EDSIM (151 W 36th St) updates its showroom daily with the newest leathers, providing high-quality materials for the city's top fashion houses.
Sewing Equipment and Repair
For those running a studio or needing professional-grade tools, these suppliers are invaluable.
- Sewmark Sewing Machine Inc.: A vital resource for the district, Sewmark (359 W 36th St) sells, rents, and, most importantly, repairs industrial and home sewing machines. They also carry essential cutting room equipment and dress forms.
- Miju Sewing USA Corp.: Another key supplier for sewing machine parts and supplies, Miju (306 W 37th St) ensures that the district's production lines stay running smoothly.
- Superior Sewing: A major distributor for sewing equipment and supplies, catering to the industrial needs of the fashion and home goods sectors.
Unique and Custom Services
- M&S Schmalberg: A truly unique entity, M&S Schmalberg (242 W 36th St) is a fourth-generation family business specializing in custom fabric flowers. They are the premier source for high-end millinery and floral embellishments, often serving major fashion labels.
- Pacific Trimming: While M&J is famous, Pacific Trimming (208 W 38th St) is a powerhouse for functional hardware, specializing in zippers, buckles, snaps, and all manner of metal and plastic fasteners, often for bulk orders.
- Dress Form Suppliers: Numerous small shops and showrooms throughout the district specialize in selling high-quality, professional dress forms (mannequins) and tailors' dummies, essential tools for draping and patternmaking.
Navigating Your Garment District Shopping Trip
Shopping in the Garment District—or the Fashion District, as it is also known—requires a strategy. Unlike typical retail environments, many stores here operate on a wholesale model but welcome retail customers, often with a higher price per yard for smaller cuts. Most stores are open Monday through Friday, with limited or no hours on weekends, making mid-week the best time to visit.
Tips for a Successful Visit:
- Bring Swatches: Always carry fabric swatches, color chips, or even thread samples to match your existing projects. The lighting in the shops can be tricky.
- Ask for the "Cut Price": When buying less than a full bolt (usually 10-15 yards), you will be charged the "cut price," which is higher than the wholesale price but still competitive. Do not be afraid to ask about minimum cuts.
- Carry Cash: While most major stores accept credit cards, smaller, more specialized notion and trimming shops may prefer cash for smaller transactions.
- Plan Your Route: The density of stores means you can easily spend an hour on a single block. Group your shopping by type (e.g., all fabric, then all notions) to minimize walking.
The Garment District continues to be a crucial resource for the global fashion industry, offering a depth of inventory and specialized knowledge that is unmatched. With this updated guide, you are ready to explore the best fabric, trim, and specialty stores NYC has to offer in 2025.
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