This summer, I had the pleasure of visiting Helsinki, Finland and doing a bit of fabric shopping while I was there. Fabric shopping on vacation is a great way to experience the local culture and bring home a really special souvenir. I brought home six amazing fabric souvenirs from Helsinki and I love that when I sew with them and then wear the garments, I’ll be remembered of my trip.
I like to do a lot of research before going to a new place. So, before I jetted off to Helsinki, I tried to look for a fabric stores to visit. I had a little trouble finding them but got a great tip on Instagram for the first store on the list and happened to just stumble across number 2 while I was adventuring.
My best tip for finding fabric stores (besides getting tips directly from people in the know), is to look up the word for fabric in the language of the place your visiting. In Finnish, the word for fabric is “kangas”. I also recommend getting the (free!) Google Translate app on your phone and downloading the language of choice so that you’ll be able to translate fiber types (as well as other words) even if you don’t have connectivity.
Fabric shopping in Helsinki
In the map above, there are two layers, one with the fabric stores and one with my top tourist picks, because I’m sure you’re not there only for the fabric. :) To best view the map, I recommend clicking the “View larger map” button in the top right of the map.
Eurokangas Helsinki Keskusta
Yliopistonkatu 5, 00100 Helsinki, Finland
This is the biggest fabric store that I visited in Helsinki and I believe it is a chain. There was a wide selection of fabric, including Marimekko (be still my design loving heart!). I headed to the back of the store and dove into their buy-by-the-pound remnant bins. I came out with four or five pieces of beautiful rayon prints. If you go to one store, I’d recommend going here.
Eurokangas is very centrally located in downtown Helsinki. It’s very close to the Ateneum museum and the central train station. (If you’re into art, I also recommend the Ateneum museum.) In fact, the fabric store is pretty much right in between the Helsinki Cathedral and the Ateneum, so it’s a nice stop in between two great sites.) I might have been able to trick my parents into stopping by saying oh look! We just happen to be walking by this fabric store!!
Inkuri Kangaskauppa
Arkadiankatu 19, 00101 Helsinki, Finland
I stumbled upon this little shop on my way to the Temppeliaukion Kirkko (aka Rock Church). This shop is very small but packed with lots of apparel fabric. Make sure to check out the downstairs as well. I picked up a couple of meters of white and black striped rayon when I was here. The staff was very friendly and it’s a great place to stop by when going to the Rock Church, which I also highly recommend.
Villisilkki Oy
Yrjönkatu 12, 00120 Helsinki, Finland
This is a beautiful little fabric boutique with very high end fabrics. If you are planning to make a wedding dress or other fancy gown, this is the place to go. The image at the top of the post is from this store. So gorgeous!! This store is a little bit south of downtown in the design district.
Kangaskauppa - Materials
Yrjönkatu 25, 00100 Helsinki, Finland
I didn’t make it to this fabric store but it’s centrally located in downtown Helsinki and has good online reviews.
Yarn store
Knitting is very popular in Finland and I did make it to one delightful yarn store. I only went to this one store but I’m sure there are many more delightful yarn sources in Finland.
Oy Manita Ab
Korkeavuorenkatu 20, 00120 Helsinki, Finland
This shop is close to the Design Museum and had a wide selection of yarns, needles and even embroidery supplies.
Bonus! Tallin, Estonia
If you have the time, I also recommend taking a trip to Tallinn. We spent just one day there but I’d love to spend more time. The ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn takes about two hours and is really fun. Tallinn is known for good linen fabric and I did visit one store that had beautiful fabric but didn’t have time to linger or shop.
I hope that this guide is helpful for you. Let me know if you go to Helsinki. I’d love to hear about it!
