I've been here for about a year and a half now and just thought I'd dedicate a little post to places in london that all fashion students should know about, well, the ones I know anyway. I doubt I've covered even half.

Note: All images are from google maps.

Fabrics.

Berwick Street is probably one of the most common places people go for fabrics, if you can afford the slightly pricier price tags that come with the fabrics. There are quite a few fabric stores in the area, my personal favourite to go to for fabrics or even just for inspiration/swatches if you're not buying any fabrics.

Nearest tube station: Oxford Circus

• Misan Fabrics (http://www.misan.co.uk)

47 Berwick Street, London W1F8SJ (Open from Monday to Saturday 9:30 to 6:00, 10:00 on Saturday)

One of two cloth house stores, this one specialises more in organic fabrics, cottons, linens and has a slightly bigger selection of bindings, buttons, ribbons. There are two floors. Allowed up to 3 or 4 free samples per student.

• Cloth House 

98 Berwick Street, London W1F0QJ (Same opening times as above)

The second of the two stores, one of the reasonably priced fabric stores that offer a great selection of quality fabrics as well. You can find all sorts of fabrics such as silks, japanese polyester fabrics (which feel amazing!), georgettes, tulle, velvet, silk chiffon, jersey, tailoring fabrics, wool, neoprene and many more "experimental" odd, textured fabrics. There are two floors, the first floor mainly stocking silks, japanese fabrics and some trimmings while the bottom floor has all sorts of tailoring, wool, stretch, jersey and neoprene fabrics. Decent prices, I believe the japanese polyester fabrics range between 15 to 25 pounds, silk jerseys are about 30+ pounds, wools are around the 40 pound range. 10% student discount.

• The Silk Society (http://www.thesilksociety.com)

As you can probably tell from the name, the store specialises in silks. Quite an expensive store, I remember asking for a sample of an amazing fabric which cost 125 pounds. Good selection of all kinds of silk fabrics from the plains to the extra jazzy ones. They do offer a few samples.

• Broadwick Silks (http://www.broadwicksilks.com)

• BiddleSawyer Silks (http://www.biddlesawyersilks.com)

Another of my favourite stores that offer a really good selection of beautiful fabrics although it can be quite expensive. There are two floors stocking all sorts of fabrics from silk organzas to silks, printed fabrics, jazzy print linings. Last time I asked for a sample of a gorgeous silk embossed fabric for a project, the price on the card was 85 pounds so it definitely isn't the cheapest option. Free samples are offered.

• Borovick Fabrics (http://www.borovickfabricsltd.co.uk)

I don't recall visiting this store so I can't really comment much on this one. 

• The Berwick Street Cloth Shop (http://www.theberwickstreetclothshop.com)

Do not judge this store based on its exterior shell. The window displays may look a little scary and the insides may look a little cluttered but it does have a rather good selection of fabrics as well, such as printed silks, plain silks, laser cut fabrics, embroided and embellished fabrics, velvet, lace. You can request a few samples (and they do rather large samples too!). Price of a sample of a plain washed sort of stretchy silk I asked for last trip was 59 pounds. 

Edware Road does have a couple of fabric stores as well though I haven't been there myself.

Nearest tube station: Edgware Road.

• Joel & Sons Fabrics (http://www.joelandsonfabrics.com/)

I haven't had a chance to visit this store yet, it was recommended by a friend that is one of the most amazing fabric stores she's been into. It's amazing if you're looking for inspiration however be warned, they are quite expensive. I was told they are about 120, 130 pounds. They offer all sorts of fabrics from linen (which I've been told is good), silks, jersey, mesh, jacquard, viscose, wool, everything really! From what I can see from their site, the range and collection of fabrics they have do look stunning. 

• Jason Fabrics (http://www.jasonsfabrics.com)

Found this online while I was searching for Joel & Sons. From what it says on their website, there are two floors selling designer silk prints, french lace and printed cotton voiles. Some designer brands include Valentino, Gianfranco Ferre. From their pictures on the site, the store does look rather impressive, and possibly expensive.

Shepherd's Bush. I think this one goes without saying that it's quite popular amongst fashion students including myself if you're looking for a more affordable option. I often go there for toile fabrics or if you're looking for plain georgettes and crepes, they are much cheaper. Of course there are stores where quality is questionable so often you'd have to do some digging and searching amongst all the stores to find the best bargain and quality fabric. There are fabric shops on both sides of the road, quite a number of stores with a big selection of fabrics although many stores often sell the same products. I once got cheap lining for a toile for 1 pound, satin fabrics for about 3 pounds, polyester chiffons for 2/3 pounds, sand washed silk for about 14 pounds, crepes are about 5-10 pounds depending on what you get. They also sell calico for a very reasonable price. Amongst the fabric stores, there are one or two stores that have a second floor stocking threads, ribbons, needles, zips, bias bindings, hooks, anything you need to construct a garment basically. Also keep in mind certain stores might not accept cards unless it's a pretty big amount. They do give out samples but only on weekdays and often the samples are quite tiny. 

Nearest tube station: Goldhawk Road.

I'm sure there are plenty more places for fabrics in London, all you need to do is a google search and there'd be a billion results but these are the ones that I have heard of and know a little more about. I know that other possible places for cheap fabrics could also be Brixton though the quality could be very questionable. 

Haberdashery.

• William Gee (https://williamgee.co.uk)

Nearest tube station: Dalston Junction.

Discovered this place while I was on placement at Antonio Berardi. They sell all sorts of threads, sewing equipment (needles, unpickers, scissors, anything!), bias, binding, shoulder pads, boning, webbing, some basic fabrics, zips. Prices are fairly reasonable, Moon threads for about 1.10 pounds, they also have guttermann threads. 

26-28 Cambridge Heath Road, Whitechapel, E1 5QH (Open from Monday to Friday 9:30 to 5:30, closed between 12:45 to 2:45 on Friday)

Nearest tube station: Whitechapel.

Another haberdashery store well stocked with all threads, hooks, fastenings, zips, dyes, anything you need. They are a wholesale store so basically, threads are cheaper to buy in a whole box (of 10 I think). Gutterman top stitching threads are about 3+ pounds.

Other places worth a visit.

The spitafields/shoreditch area is a good place to visit when you're bored on a nice sunny day with nothing to do. There are some interesting artsy/fashion stores that are tucked away. Definitely visit art galleries and museums whenever there are exhibitions on, the good (and obvious) ones are the V&A, Somerset House, Tate. Camden Town is a good start as well, although certain bits could be a little dodgy, it's a nice place to explore on a sunny afternoon. Saville Row, as intimidating as it is, is a must go to place for all fashion people, great street dedicating to bespoke tailoring. 

So there you have it, hope that's helped the people out there if you were like me when you first stepped foot into UK, absolutely clueless about fabrics, going into first year of fashion design at university. Good thing is you build on the knowledge as time goes by just from speaking with people, friends, tutors, a little self exploration and internships (they send you on these errands and you'd be amazed to discover all these new places!)