La Presse speaks
"Silks, gazars, laces, kashmirs... Everything that drives women crazy can be found here!"
- THREADS
Destination Couture: Paris, France
The City of Light is also the heart and soul of couture, and the dream of every textile buyer.
The magic begins as soon as you catch sight of the Eiffel Tower and observe the magnificent architecture along the banks of the Seine. Paris is full of fabulous surprises just waiting to be discovered: a flower store devoted solely to roses, an award-winning bakery with the best baguettes in town, a sales clerk who asks about gift wrap and the color of ribbon to use. Paris isn't just a destination, it's an experience in its own right.
For those with a passion for fashion or couture, there's no adventure as exciting as visiting the city where fashion was born and which still offers an impressive range of textiles.
There are fabric stores, of course, but also specialty boutiques that have supplied the fashion industry for generations. The quality and breadth of supply is unrivalled, and the stores and sources of knowledge I've mentioned are my personal favourites.
Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements that swirl out from the center. Addresses traditionally include the arrondissement number. However, this guide is organized by district, and some neighborhoods may span several arrondissements.
Buying fabric in Paris is all about "unearthing" the exceptional and unusual. So let this guide open the doors to an inspiring and exhilarating experience.
*Many thanks to my Francophile friend Nel Viersen for her help, timely suggestions and enthusiasm for this project.
Susan Khalje is a fashion editor who shows couture enthusiasts around Paris.
Le Sentier
Le Sentier, which covers the 2nd and 9th arrondissements of Paris, is traditionally considered the textile district, the "atelier" home to numerous couture stores and resources, including those that have supplied fashion houses for generations.
Général Diff
44, rue Cléry (2nd arrondissement)
Metro: Bonne-Nouvelle or Sentier
English spoken, credit cards accepted
generaldiff.com
Meet Max, the friendly owner. His store is small, but you'll find great bargains in the basement, with beautiful fabrics at very good prices. Ask Max to take you upstairs to the adjoining building, where you'll find some truly fabulous fabrics: vicuña, cashmere, bouclé and brocade. Prices can be steep, but the quality is superb.
FASHION by Murielle Borgia
Women love Max's fabrics.
Max isn't just another fabric salesman. His passion: helping women realize their dreams, at reasonable prices. After collections, he buys back rolls from haute couture houses. This enables him to offer his customers top-quality fabrics.
A pleasant smell of old paper caresses the nostrils as you enter 44 rue de Clery. With a big smile, Max welcomes his customers into his Ali Baba's cave, laid out on three levels. Rolls of fabric in every corner catch the eye. Silks, gazars, laces, kashmirs... everything that drives women crazy can be found here!
A radical change of profession
Max has been working in textiles for 35 years. While he was involved in simple trading, eight years ago he decided to change his business. I had to question myself," he says, "because the business no longer suited me. I wanted to stand out from the crowd by selling fabrics of exceptional quality. Today, he buys all the stocks of the great couturiers, Lanvin, Céline, Chloé, Lacroix... To the delight of the ladies! Of course, he takes a financial risk with such quantities. But he loves it. "You know, a piece of haute couture costs between 2,000 and 3,000 euros. I'm delighted to be able to offer women the possibility of dressing in such materials."
Family work
"Take it! To sweeten your afternoon," he said, offering me an Oriental pastry.
Enthusiasm and conviviality are his hallmarks. Max likes to be surrounded by people. He works as a family, with his wife Marlène and eldest daughter Magali. The youngest, Cécilia, comes along from time to time to lend a hand. They all share the same passion. They complement each other and each advises according to his or her own sensitivity. I like to take the time to show and let people touch my lace and kashmir," confides Marlène. It's a craft that requires technical knowledge, so I explain each fabric, where it comes from and how it's used.
"You know," adds max, "these fabrics can't stand rushing, which is why you have to take your time."
Suddenly, Mascha Makeief's costume designer enters the store. Without a word, Marlène greets her and immediately escorts her to another room where she keeps kashmir and wonderful woollens.
THREADS: Design & Sew with Summer Knits
THREADS: May 2013 issue
"Best fabric store ever!
This is a hidden gem in Paris, and one I think is worth the flight alone."
- A CHALLENGING SEW
A challenging sew: Shopping in Paris for Fabric and notions
GENERALDIFF - Best fabric store ever! This is a hidden gem in Paris, and I think it's worth the trip alone. (I'll let you know if it works as a legitimate excuse to go back!)
There are two floors at GENERALDIFF: the first is open to everyone, and the second is by invitation only.
Nel recounts that the first time she shopped there, it took 90 minutes to get to the upstairs entrance - but it was worth the wait, and the persistence, I promise!
The first floor and basement are full of floor-to-ceiling fabric, so you certainly have to be prepared to rummage and while the second floor is more generic, with colors, cottons, silks (Hermes trimmings) and some gazar, the second floor is Couture heaven.
It's Max, posing for me, overlooking wools and Chanel rolls! He's charming and very funny... and while he only speaks French, there's no need for a translator - he knows enough English to tell you the brand and the cost in euros!
In this photo, Nel shows us a Lanvin panel in silk chiffon!
I finally broke down and bought a fabric... and would have bought it all if I'd been able to take more than two suitcases on the plane or had time to send a few packages home.
A Lanvin one off - OH MY GOD!
I can't believe it's mine! Sample panel from Gazar, my favorite fabric in the world, and the quality is exceptional - just look at the design and the shade...
And a Chanel three-color tweed. I'd never seen tweed in real buckles before, so I fell in love with it... I chose the blue after much hesitation, but I wish I'd bought the whole thing. Perfect: that's the only good way to describe this incredible fabric.
The two "squares" on the underside are elastic stretch fabrics at the base, with good recovery and stability.
And as I was leaving, I couldn't resist adding two meters of Chanel lace (on a silk background, with wool appliqués cut out and placed on the background by hand), it was too good not to take, especially as it was so light.
There was also wool guipure for 50€, cashmere laces, Italian silk, tweed, wool, cashmere.... But unfortunately no website yet - although, maybe that could be my next job!
And when we finished Max kindly gave us a Lanvin lining and also gave me a roll of fabric for a poster I needed to pack for the plane and then walked with us to another store.... I just loved him!
If you're going to Paris for fabric, this has to be your first stop, honestly it's so worth a real visit!
"The quality of the products is superb."
- ENVY
ENVY : les bons plans d'Astrid Eliard
N°21, July 1-7, 2010
GENERAL DIFF
Here you'll find rolls and rolls of haute couture fabrics (Lanvin, Céline, Chloé) and beautiful lace at bargain prices. I don't know how to hem, but my sister has made me some beautiful pieces for less than €50.
44, rue de Cléry, Paris 2e.
"This little boutique nestles in the heart of the Sentier district and, to the delight of its customers, conceals a host of treasures.
- PARIS DE FIL EN AIGUILLE
Paris de Fil en Aiguille - 2008
