At the moment, fabrics from India, China and Europe are selling particularly well, especially silks from the former which are always very popular. Wool from Italy is also attracting quite a lot of attention and people generally seem to be moving away from the mass-produced materials imported from the far east, and looking for higher-quality goods that have been handmade instead.

Demand for fabrics has never been so strong; we've worked in the industry for more than 22 years and have never seen so much excitement about our materials. Of course, there have been a number of different factors contributing to this, with TV programmes, magazines and the huge range of schools and colleges now offering craft-related classes all nurturing people's interest.

Young, Fresh and New
Boiled wools are particularly popular at present. Featuring a rougher texture than traditional yarn, they have an almost felt-like appearance and are commonly used to create sophisticated jackets. Lime, grey and red versions are the most sought after, with plum-like, purple hues also selling very well.

Embellished wools, especially ones with shiny threads, are also very fashionable right now and people generally seem to be gravitating away from the subdued, earthy colours favoured last year and looking for materials that will create a more luxurious and dramatic effect instead. Polka dots, stripes and checks are also in favour, as is anything featuring florals.

In terms of projects, jackets, coats and dresses seem to be very popular at the moment, with customers using magazines – Vogue, in particular – as their main source of inspiration. Interestingly, fabrics for wedding dresses are also becoming a strong seller as consumers look for ways to add a more personal touch to their garments by selecting the materials to produce them from scratch. As such, items in lighter hues – ivories and Champagne-like shades, most notably – are doing rather well.

Anything from Liberty is always in demand and we often have people asking for designs that were popular more than 20 years ago – demonstrating just how fashion-proof they are.

View from the Top
Quality is at the top of everyone's agenda right now and offering customers anything less than the best simply won't suffice in today's increasingly challenging, not to mention price- and time-conscious, climate.

Fortunately, the market is incredibly buoyant right now, with everyone from dressmakers, designers and fashion students to the general public expressing an interest in our goods. We are certainly feeling very optimistic about the year ahead and will be adding a number of new lines to our range over the next 12 months.

Moji Aseeley has been running Butterfly Fabrics with his wife for more than 22 years. For more information, please visit http://www.butterflyfabrics.co.uk