Are you a new designer who wants to stop wasting money paying retail prices for supplies?

No, really, I’m dead serious. Can you logically explain why you’re wasting money buying your supplies at high priced retail stores when you can establish valuable relationships with Garment Center wholesalers?

The wholesalers in this post specifically cater to designers producing their samples and they will sell small cuts of stock fabrics – in fact, Preview Textiles boasts a no minimum cut! The benefits should be obvious. Not only do they offer much cheaper prices (half off in most cases) but they keep an enormous inventory of stock colors and qualities of fabrics. These fabric suppliers offer a full line of solid and print fabrics in wide range of new fashion colors, print designs, novelty finishes such as burnout, and the latest cool technical effects on fabrics.

In practical terms, this means that when you make a silk camisole sample in celadon green and you get an order months later (after photographing your collection and attending a trade show) for 25 camisoles, you can go back and buy the same fabric.

The first question a designer must ask a wholesale supplier is “what is your MOQ?”.

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Whereas, if you have made your entire collection from designer remnants you found at Mood Fabrics, you’re going to be in a sticky situation trying to find the same fabric to make your order – and even if they have some yardage left, it likely will not be enough to make your orders. What will you do then? Substitute fabric and hope the customer doesn’t notice? Cancel the order? Not a great way to start a relationship with a customer.

Save yourself from certain disaster and failure down the road – and stop wasting money!

Start professionally and source your fabrics with due diligence. Make sure that every component in your garment can be purchased again and again from suppliers who will keep it in stock and will sell you reasonable quantities.

The key word here is “reasonable quantities”. An equally difficult scenario is making the mistake of buying sample yardage from a mill which, down the road, will require huge minimums of at least 1,000-2,000 yards for production. The first question a designer must as a wholesale supplier is “what is your MOQ”? Which stands for ‘Minimum Order Quantity’.

For example, you may go to a fabric rep who represents a variety mills from around the world. Each company will have different minimum requirements, depending where they manufacture. Check the MOQ requirements carefully to avoid frustrations in the future.

A guide to 9 of the best NYC garment center wholesale suppliers for small designers to stop wasting money.

By the way, a huge added benefit to ordering from local wholesalers: they will roll your fabric onto a cardboard tube which is a much better way to store it and keep it fresh. Shoving folded yards of fabric into a shopping bag is always a predicament when you take it out to cut and sew. Not to mention storing it. The only caveat is that you have to be able to order from color swatch cards. Having said that, many suppliers will let you wander around the stock room to look at the rolls.

1. Calamo Silk

251 W 39th St 5th floor, New York, NY 10018 – (212) 840-1570

Calamo Silk has 96 colors of silk in standard charmeuse, chiffon, georgette, habotai etc. but they also have a big range of silk blend novelty fabrics – and prints. You have to ask to go into the stock room to look at the prints and specialty fabrics. Additionally, they assign you a salesperson for your personalized sales contact. Sometimes they’re grumpy. Tough it out and don’t be intimidated. You’re not there to be friends.

2. Eastern Silk Mills

148 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018 – (212) 730-1300

Eastern stocks over 50 types of silk fabrics and 144 colors. And they boast “We believe in high quality fabrics and excellent customer service”. They have a showroom in NYC and a warehouse in New Jersey.

3. Preview Textile Group

225 W 37th St #11, New York, NY 10018 – (212) 764-1343

Preview offers about 250 different fabrics, all sustainable, with low minimums or no minimum for stock fabrics – and a range of silks in 98 beautiful, delicate colors.

4. C & J Textiles

 230 W 38th St 7th Floor, New York, NY 10018 – (212) 354-0040

C & J Textile Inc. stocks fine silk fabrics in 96 colors. In addition they stock laces from Laurent Galigue of London England and Dentelles Darquer of Paris, France. These exclusive items are in stock in their NYC warehouse. They also carry unique and beautifully beaded laces from India, and give you the option of doing custom beading, on your choice of fabrics! If that doesn’t get your creative juices flowing, I don’t know what will!

5. Wimpfheimer Velvets

226 W 37th St #12, New York, NY 10018 – (212) 563-3400

This is a name I can never remember! So I have to type variations of it into the search bar until I finally land on the right one. If you are thinking of designing crushed velvet dressing gowns with faux fur collars, or glamorous pajamas, this is place to go. The have a wide range of stretch and woven velvets, faux furs and faux suede. Best to call ahead to make an appointment to visit their funky NYC office. It’s not glamorous but the good news is that they are very generous with their swatch cards.

6. Klauber Lace

980 6th Ave, New York, NY 10018 – 212-686-2531

You need to open an account immediately here. Klauber Lace is a family run business and it’s the best lace manufacturer in the USA – also, it is one of the last manufacturers of Leaver’s Lace in the world. They have a huge inventory of beautiful laces. In addition, they are surprisingly nice to small designers and accommodate smaller quantities as well as sampling. Gordon Klauber is a dog-lover, so a picture of your pet is welcome!

7. Elliot Berman Textiles

237 W 37th St Floor 7, New York, NY 10018 – (800) 609-6072

Elliot Berman Textiles represents an array of famous mills in France, Germany and Italy. The benefit here is that you will find a large selection of beautiful prints and novelty weaves in a wide range of fabrics, such as cashmere, virgin wool, cotton, and silk. As a rule of thumb, they require cuts of 15 yards and up for the wholesale price. If you choose a print for your collection, double check to make sure that it will be in stock for at least the season.

8. La Lame

215 W 40th St. 5th FL New York, NY 10018 – 212-921-9770

It should be noted that there are 2 divisions of “La Lame” which is extremely confusing when you take their business card at a trade show and land on a page in Google that sells “liturgical supplies”. For the uninitiated, that means religious accoutrements – heavy tassels, crucifix appliques and stiff gold laces. The other part of the company is a wholesale supplier of stretch fabrics, laces and trims for intimate apparel and swimwear!

9. Dyenamix Inc.

359 Broadway, FL 2 New York, NY 10013 – 212.941.6642

This is off the beaten path since they are located below Canal Street but definitely worth a mention because they’re the place to go when you have a genius idea – or original print illustration – but can’t find the fabric to carry it out. DYENAMIX will work with you to create innovative surface designs. They claim, “at Dyenamix, we transform concept into reality”. They use traditional dyeing, painting and hand silk screening with the latest technology in digital textile printing. And no minimums!

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