thumb|right|Samples of cloth showing many typical Madras patterns

Madras is a lightweight cotton fabric with typically patterned texture and tartan design, used primarily for summer clothing such as pants, shorts, lungi, dresses, and jackets. The fabric takes its name from the former name of the city of Chennai in India.

Definition

Authentic Madras comes from Chennai (Madras) in Tamil Nadu. Both sides of the cloth must bear the same pattern, and it must be handwoven (evidenced by the small flaws in the fabric). Madras was most popular in the 1960s.

Cotton madras is woven from a fragile, short-staple cotton fiber that cannot be combed, only carded. was a muslin overprinted or embroidered in elaborate patterns with vegetable dyes.

Undyed madras cloth became popular in Europe because it was lightweight and breathable.

The name "madras" was attributed to shirt maker David J. Anderson in 1844, A 1966 advertisement in John Plain stated:

<blockquote>Authentic Indian Madras is completely handwoven from yarns dyed with native vegetable colorings. Home-spun by native weavers, no two plaids are exactly the same. When washed with mild soap in warm water, they are guaranteed to bleed and blend together into distinctively muted and subdued colorings.</blockquote>

In the United States, the plaid cotton madras shirt became popular in the 1960s among the post-World War II generation of preppy baby boomers.

See also

  • Check (fabric)
  • Gingham
  • Flannel
  • Ivy League fashion
  • Tartan
  • Tattersall (cloth)

References

Notes

Further reading

  • How a humble Indian fabric became a symbol of luxury in 1960s America, CNN (2024)
  • Connecting Threads: Fashioning Madras in the Caribbean A project exploring the history of Madras textiles in India and the Caribbean