Milan, the city of fashion, where tailoring and textile arts are felt every day. Capital of style and elegance, Milan is an international reference point for fashion and creativity. Here, between prestigious ateliers, artisan workshops, and historic haberdasheries, the passion for fabrics, details, and manual work is an integral part of the city’s culture, making every corner of the city a tribute to the handmade.
But it’s not just about fashion: Milan is also the ideal place for embroidery and textile art lovers. In a city that celebrates beauty and craftsmanship, you’ll find historical shops, haberdasheries and specialized stores where enthusiasts and artisans find inspiration and quality materials. From embroidery threads to the finest fabrics, vintage buttons to unique accessories, Milan offers endless opportunities to bring your creations to life.
This is why I chose this city as the starting point for a series of guides to discover some must-visit places for embroiderers in Italy.
It all starts with a collaborative, ever-evolving project: a global collection of embroidery shops. This list is made up of recommendations from embroiderers for embroiderers, who share their favorite stores for embroidery and sewing supplies (LNS – Local Needlepoint Shops). From physical stores to fairs and e-commerce, the goal is to create a curated and reliable resource for those who share our passion.
Do you know of any shops that should be included in the list? Let us know in the comments!
Ago, filo e fantasia
Via Ambrogio Binda 16, 20143 Milano (Italy)
A well-stocked haberdashery offering a wide range of sewing and embroidery supplies, including mouliné floss, Aida fabric, needles, and sewing notions, along with buttons of all types and home textiles.
The owner is friendly and helpful.
She offers also custom embroidery on various types of fabrics and handmade gift ideas, including sewn or crocheted items.
La Mercerie Des Rêves
Via Terraggio 21, 20123 Milano (Italy)
A classic Milanese haberdashery, opened in 1987, rich in interesting items.
They have the full range of DMC threads (mouliné, cotton, wool, perlé…). You can find a rich assortment of embroidery kits and patterns, many of them vintage. In addition to kits, they also offer ready-to-embroider items such as baby bibs or fabric baskets.
There are also trimmings, buttons, fabrics, and all the sewing and embroidery supplies you’d expect from a well-stocked merceria. While in an Italian “haberdashery” you often happen to find crochet or knitting supplies, here you have a more traditional shop, with a wide range of offerings.
They also carry fabrics, home linens, and even some decorative item and home accessories.
Central location, convenient to stop by while exploring the city.
Merceria Point de Marque
Via Gaudenzio Ferrari 6, 20123 Milano (Italy)
They have a huge assortment for every need.
A service they offer is printing designs on fabric. They print their own ones, but you can go to them and print on linen fabric your own designs.
They have the vastest variety for any embroidery need, even for techniques which are not easy to find in Italy, such as sashiko.
The also host embroidery classes, which is uncommon in Italy, and have courses also for sewing.
You also have the possibility to craft in there, which is super!
Friendly and knowledgeable staff is another plus.
Merceria Grassi
Via Piero della Francesca, 29, 20154 Milan (Italy)
A historical haberdashery in Milan, since 1945.
It’s the kingdom of buttons! You can find literally tons of them, in any shape, color, and size, also vintage ones.
Finding something they don’t have is tricky. The shop is literally packed with stuff, but they have also a warehouse.
Trimmings, fabric, tons of embroidery floss, notions, kits, patterns… you name it! A must-visit.
Merceria Plana
Via Giovanni Antonio Plana 43, 20155 Milano (Italy)
A not-so-big shop that’s literally packed with stuff! Like the typical italian merceria you expect to find in Italy, with passionate and knowledgeable staff.
Anything from fabric to notions to thread to kits to Aida cloth, also a lot for knitting and crochet.
Tessuti e Scampoli
Via Lario, 14 – 20159 – Milano (Italy)
Our favourite fabric store! Because for embroidery and stitching you also need fabric, don’t you? Two-story high shop with every kind of fabric you could think about. You can buy fabric by the metre or browse the numerous scrap baskets to buy by weight.
Not just fabric, but also sewing thread, needles, scissors, sewing accessories, beads, crystals, haberdashery and more. Note that they don’t sell embroidery thread.
You can ask anything to the sellers: everyone is competent and professional, very helpful in their suggestions.
On Saturday it could be very crowded, mainly during the afternoon.
La Dama dell’Ago
V.le Abruzzi 42 – 20131 Milano (Italy)
Usually, haberdashery in Italy means you can buy yarn, underwear, buttons, sewing thread, but not really embroidery floss and the like. This shop has indeed an eye for embroidery, mainly cross stitch. It all comes from the passion of the owner, who got it from her grandmother.
Besides all about yarn crafts and sewing, you can find floss, beads, patterns, Aida cloth and all sort of things to cross stitch on, like towels or baby bibs. Plus, you can find tons of useful advices about your projects!
For all the cosplayers or reenactors out there, that’s the place to go to find the perfect materials to make special clothes.
I like the athmosphere, that brings you back in time to the old Italian haberdashery stores where our grannies used to go. Those shops were crammed with all sort of things, and here you have that very same feeling because you can be sure to find what you look for. The difference, though, is that you are in a luminous place with high ceiling that gives you an even better feeling of hospitality.
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