Prasan Shah of The Original Madras Trading Company Has Been Reading Our Site.
June 6, 2022
The first line of the Origin Story on their new website is, “Original Madras Trading Company is a family business with a checkered past.” I am friends with Prasan. I didn’t make that joke on our site before this, but I should have.
The Original Madras Company is The Source. For madras. Not surfing.
If you are my age and you get this joke, then we are probably related somehow. If you are younger (or older), watch Point Break. The original. (Don’t even.)
Their new website is terrific, great imagery, and Prasan has a sense of humor, not something you see in a lot of web copy.
One thing they take seriously though is the hand weaving. You can read about it here, and you should. Under their turmeric yellow salvage label the clothes are all hand woven by a single weaver. It takes much longer, but I have felt the cloth in one hand and machine made in the other and you can feel, and see the difference. They list a lot of reasons why they do this, from the singularity of design (each piece is unique because it is made by hand)to quality, but the one that stuck out to me was this reason:
Click on the image for the full, inspiring, web page.
But the best news is… you can now buy off the site. Here. For our purposes, I will start with the most traditional.
Click on the image to check out TOMTC’s trad shirt.
Here it is in full view:
You can, of course, click here too.
Not an all-those-colors person but want an exceptional, traditional shirt to wear this summer?
Here. Click here. Not here, I mean the picture. Click the picture.
The last thing I will show you here is the shorts but really, take a few minutes and check out the whole site. There are drawstring pants. I have a pair (not of these but I mean just a pair in general) and they are fantastic for weekends. There’s a short sleeve shirt there that looks great, I just never have been able to pull it off. Some people look good in that, I do not. The new site is gorgeous, and really well written, and this is a values-based company. I am going to buy the drawstring pants. Let me know what you are buying.
Here are the shorts.
If you click on this you go to a website that has all the best back covers from the last decade of the Ny Post. … No you don’t. If you click on this you go to the shorts page.With a white polo (collar popped if you are anywhere near water) and faded Sperry boat sneakers. Now.
JB,
FYI, a new addy here. Moving on to a new, more Ivy life-style.
I seem to remember madras plaid shirts in short sleeves c 1980. As a rule I prefer long sleeves, but curious, are short sleeves a thing in other than polo shirts?
Interesting (to me at least) that madras wasn’t embraced with open arms— as it has been by preppies and trads here in the U.S.A. My favorite madras designs mimic the more traditional and subtle Scottish tartans, most especially Buchanan and Gordon.
Madras is overpriced at the retail level, for sure. I much prefer linen for summer.
A couple of British weavers have been offering “tweed” of linen, bamboo, and hemp. Cool
wearing (worsted and porous). Perfect with end-on-end shirts and lightweight silk ties.
The solid navy color of that short sleeved shirt really amplifies the visibility of that hand-woven texture. Just lovely stuff. I’m currently attempting a clothes purchase hiatus, but I might not be able to resist buying that one.
It’s nice to see humor and irreverence on a maker’s site like that. Prasan Shah seems like a great guy, and I like seeing a family company like his continue on with a new generation.
Found time to look at the sight. Mine was definitely short sleeve, slate blue with indigo, and I wore the hell out of it. I don’t particularly care for the 45 degree offset 4 pocket, but there are some interesting things I never would have considered here, for around the house on a hot summer’s eve. Iced tea.
JB,
FYI, a new addy here. Moving on to a new, more Ivy life-style.
I seem to remember madras plaid shirts in short sleeves c 1980. As a rule I prefer long sleeves, but curious, are short sleeves a thing in other than polo shirts?
John, I tried to email you at John_Burton@ivy-style.com, but Gmail bounced the email back to me as “undeliverable.”
Do you have an alternate email address?
Interesting (to me at least) that madras wasn’t embraced with open arms— as it has been by preppies and trads here in the U.S.A. My favorite madras designs mimic the more traditional and subtle Scottish tartans, most especially Buchanan and Gordon.
Madras is overpriced at the retail level, for sure. I much prefer linen for summer.
A couple of British weavers have been offering “tweed” of linen, bamboo, and hemp. Cool
wearing (worsted and porous). Perfect with end-on-end shirts and lightweight silk ties.
* embraced by British folks, that is
The solid navy color of that short sleeved shirt really amplifies the visibility of that hand-woven texture. Just lovely stuff. I’m currently attempting a clothes purchase hiatus, but I might not be able to resist buying that one.
It’s nice to see humor and irreverence on a maker’s site like that. Prasan Shah seems like a great guy, and I like seeing a family company like his continue on with a new generation.
Short sleeves are prohibited with the exception of polls!
Long standing prep 101 rule!
Prep 101 yes. Ivy…
POLOS!
Hey JB your emails won’t go thru!!! Just FYI
Utah: “I’m 25”
Kid: “That’s what I’m talking about, it’s not too late”
Thanks for the reference, JB! And, there is only one Point Break.
PERFECT!
Found time to look at the sight. Mine was definitely short sleeve, slate blue with indigo, and I wore the hell out of it. I don’t particularly care for the 45 degree offset 4 pocket, but there are some interesting things I never would have considered here, for around the house on a hot summer’s eve. Iced tea.
First off, welcome! Second, you sound like you are gonna fit in perfectly 🙂
I have a pair of drawstring pants. They’re called pajamas.
I encourage you to try another.