How to buy fabric well
- Know your yards before you go. Work them out for the style, size and fabric width with the fabric yardage calculator, and add extra when a print or lace motif has to match.
- Check the width. The same style needs more yards of a narrow fabric. Ask, or measure it.
- Compare before you buy. Walk a few stalls and ask the price of the same thing. Prices move, so note what you paid.
- Inspect the whole piece. Look for flaws, faded print and uneven embroidery along the length, not only the part on show.
- Buy linings and notions together. Thread, zips, interfacing and buttons in the same trip save you a second journey.
- Keep your sellers. A seller who knows you will hold stock, tell you when new designs land and give a better price.
- Count transport in your price. A long trip for one outfit can cost more than the fabric saving. Pass it on in your sewing price.
See this week's prices before you go
Seamza has a live map of markets and stalls, built by tailors: what each stall sells, what tailors actually paid this week, and directions from the gate. Sellers can claim their stall and keep it up to date.
Questions tailors ask
Where is the biggest fabric market in Lagos?
Balogun Market on Lagos Island is the biggest and best known. Tejuosho Market in Yaba is a calmer, more organised alternative on the mainland.
Where can I buy lace in Lagos?
Balogun Market, especially around Breadfruit Street, is known for lace. Compare a few sellers: the same lace can differ in price from stall to stall.
How many yards of fabric do I need?
It depends on the style, the size and the fabric width. The free fabric yardage calculator tells you for agbada, senator, gowns, iro and buba and more.
How do I avoid buying fake or poor fabric?
Feel it, check the width and the print or embroidery at the edges, and ask to see the whole roll if you can. Buy a small piece first from a new seller, and go back to sellers who treated you well.
How do I know if a price is fair?
Ask more than one stall, and keep a note of what you paid each time. On Seamza, tailors share what they paid this week at each stall, so you can see a fair price before you go.