Mood Fabrics began with the dreams of founder Jack Sauma, who grew up in Lebanon and Sweden before graduating from design school in the 1970s. He made his first sale as a designer to the Swedish mega-chain H&M, setting the stage for what would become Mood’s creative legacy.

In 1976, Jack and his wife, Janet, moved to New York, settling on Long Island where their three children—Philip, Amy, and Eric—were born. Jack found work in the New York fashion world as a contractor, sewing clothing for designers like Michael Kors, Geoffrey Beene, and Pierre Cardin, and later launched successful clothing lines including Isaiah and Joyce Jordan. Despite signs of a promising design career, Jack grew frustrated with the business side of designing and the long waits for payments from stores, leading him to sell fabric from his collection to wholesale customers instead—and he was surprised at how quickly and easily the fabric sold, with no more waiting for checks to arrive.

These successful fabric sales were Jack’s “aha moment,” leading him to open Mood Designer Fabrics in New York’s Garment District, which opened its doors in 1991. In its early years, Mood operated strictly as a fabric wholesaler, so when home sewers and others heard about their extensive designer fabric inventory and came knocking, they were politely turned away.

Noticing an opportunity, Janet Sauma decided in 1993 it was time to expand Mood’s business to include retail sales, opening the doors to home sewers, costume designers, and sewing enthusiasts alike. Word about the fabric store quickly spread, and as demand grew, Mood soon outgrew its original space, marking the beginning of its transformation into a beloved destination for designers and makers.

In 2001, Mood moved into its current location at 225 West 37th Street in New York’s Garment District, expanding into 40,000 square feet spread across three floors to accommodate the growing demand.

In 2002, a small production crew approached the Saumas to film the pilot of a new reality TV show at Mood. That show, Project Runway, quickly became a huge success, popularizing catchphrases like “Make it work!” and “Thank you, Mood,” and drawing thousands of fans to the store each year.

A year of exceptional growth for Mood, 2007 marked both the opening of Mood Fabrics LA and the launch of online shopping at MoodFabrics.com. Mood Fabrics LA extended the company’s reach to the West Coast with a store in Los Angeles. While it served the same diverse customers as Mood NYC—including designers and sewing enthusiasts—it placed a stronger emphasis on meeting the needs of the Hollywood film and costume industry.

Meanwhile, MoodFabrics.com brought Mood into the digital age, providing our vast selection of unique, designer-quality fabrics to customers across the US—and the world—who were unable to make a journey to one of the stores.

In 2022, Mood Fabrics expanded to serve the vibrant fashion and creative communities of Florida—opening the doors of the Mood Fabrics Miami store. This new location further strengthened Mood’s reputation as a nationwide destination for designers, makers, and fabric lovers alike.

November 2025 saw the opening of Mood's fourth flagship store in Houston, Texas, bringing 9,000 sq. ft. of designer fabrics, trims, and endless creative inspiration to the Lone Star State and expanding access to thousands of fabrics into the central time zone.

That brings us to today: Mood Fabrics now boasts four thriving flagship stores—in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Houston—alongside a popular online shop offering one of the largest and most diverse fabric selections available. Always looking to the future, Mood continues to grow and expand, maintaining its place at the forefront of fashion and design innovation, with plans to open new concept stores in Atlanta and Chicago in the near future.