Many Parisians shop for everyday fabrics at the Marché St Pierre in Montmartre, but if you’re looking for high-end French fabrics while visiting Paris, it’s worth stopping into the Malhia Kent showroom in the Viaduc des Arts (19 ave Daumesnil, 12th, M° Bastille). .
Here you’ll find a vast colorful shop with over 2000 new fabrics each season (four collections each year), all made in France, as well as yarns, samples/swatches, and a few racks of unique clothing and scarves made with the fabrics. They specialize in tweeds that are made on special looms for lightness and durability, many incorporating glittering threads, lace, ribbons, and even feathers for whimsical and creative fabrics you can use for clothing or home decor.
Note that the website only has their headquarters in the suburbs listed, but the atelier and shop at the Viaduc des Arts is indeed still open.
I visited with tour clients last week and the friendly shop keepers invited us to take photos, try on the clothes, and touch the fabrics all we wanted, no pressure and no following us around. Honestly, this is not common in high-end French boutiques!
A few doors down is Le Bonheure des Dames, a store specializing in cross-stitch embroidery kits, haberdashery supplies and everything you need for needlework. UPDATE: Bonheure des Dames has moved to 8 Passage Verdeau (9th arrondissement).
