Madras for it.
Preserving the legacy of Madras, one handloom at a time.
A conversation with Original Madras Trading Company founder Prasan Shah
Is there anything more emblematic of American campus culture than penny loafers and Madras cloth? They’re the two style codes that wrote the rulebook of Ivy League dressing. One discreet, versatile and built to last; the other bright, effortlessly cool and even bearer of peacockery in its boldest and ultimate form: the patchwork. Together they defined the look of the golden-age of US campus fashion, and together they still echo in Sebago’s identity. Icons that never lost relevance, only gained it.
Original Madras Trading Company sits right in this conversation. Born in 2020 from the mind of Prasan Shah to safeguard the authenticity of Madras checks, it’s more than just a brand. It’s the continuation of a textile story that began in India and found a second home in New York, where Prasan’s grandfather relocated in the 1970s. After five decades of manufacturing clothing for some of the most iconic American sportswear brands, Prasan decided to take the family business one step further. Launching Original Madras Trading Company has become a way to preserve the Indian culture of Madras handloom weaving while establishing a global and contemporary dialogue with fashion, also through the power of collaborations – including Sebago. We sat down with Prasan Shah to hear the story behind this unique journey.
Could you tell us how Original Madras Trading Company began?
Original Madras Trading Company launched in 2020 with a simple but ambitious goal: to revive handloom Madras from its birthplace in Madras, India. While my family has been making clothing for over five decades, we had never created anything under our own name. This felt like the right moment to produce something that not only honors the spirit of Madras but also reflects the history and values of our family business.
What path brought a company so deeply rooted in India to New York City?
My grandfather moved to New York in the 1970s and quickly realized this was where our future lay. He established a sales office in the city, and through it, we produced garments for some of the most iconic sportswear brands in the United States. Madras cloth has always held a special place in American menswear, so bringing our fabric from India to New York felt like a natural fit. It became the meeting point of two worlds: building a lasting business while creating meaningful employment in both Madras and Manhattan.
What role did your father play in the company’s journey and in bridging Indian tradition with the American market?
My father, Ranvir Shah, joined the company in his late teens and continues to lead it today. Known in Madras as a cultural activist, philanthropist, and businessman, he has always had a deep appreciation for books, art, music, and design. His sharp aesthetic sensibility allows him to bridge the worlds of art and industry. He firmly believes in the symbiotic relationship between the two – championing the role that industry can play in supporting non-commercial ventures, and the importance of art in enriching human experience.
What role does the city of Madras still play in your company and personal identity today?
Madras remains at the very heart of what we do – it is the reason we exist. The city is steeped in textile history, and it is both a privilege and a responsibility to remind the world of India’s profound influence on the history of fashion.
That heritage shapes everything—from our fabrics to our design philosophy to the way we conduct business.
Over the years you have collaborated with many illustrious brands. What drives your choice of partners?
What makes handloom special is that there are no minimums, which allows us to collaborate seamlessly with brands across the fashion spectrum and create exclusive designs. Since launching in 2020, we’ve worked with Sebago, Sid Mashburn, J-Press, Nigel Cabourn, New Era, and Tommy Bahama, among others. Each collaboration has its own distinct identity, yet all share a celebration of handloom cloth and the craft we are committed to reviving.
The right partners tend to emerge naturally. For example, with Sebago, the brand had a deep understanding of what we were building at Original Madras. From that moment, everything aligned – from time spent in our Manhattan archives, to watching the cloth being woven on the loom, to finally seeing the finished product launch on the Sebago website.
What was the moment you realised that Sebago and Original Madras Company were speaking the same language?
Sebago is a classic brand, and Madras check is equally iconic: both with deep roots in the Preppy and Ivy tradition. Sometimes the connection is that simple. From there, everything else was pure magic in the making.
How did the idea for a capsule collection with Sebago take shape?
Tell us how the project developed: was there a creative exchange or dialogue around key decisions? What was it like bringing together two legacies that are so different, yet so aligned?
Tell us how the project developed: was there a creative exchange or dialogue around key decisions? What was it like bringing together two legacies that are so different, yet so aligned?
We first connected with the Sebago team at Pitti in Firenze, and it was immediately clear we had to create something together. They understood our mission to revive handloom craft, and we quickly identified a cloth from our archives that felt true to Sebago’s DNA. Once it was woven, their designers brought fresh ideas to the table – including a picnic blanket and a bucket hat – which perfectly merged our two worlds. It was a dynamic, inspiring exchange, and we hope to collaborate again soon.
Sometimes it’s those seemingly small moments that capture the essence of a creative partnership. Is there a highlight from collaborating with Sebago that you would like to share?
The picnic blanket was something we had never considered producing ourselves, so seeing that idea come from Sebago was both surprising and exciting. Creating it in our handloom cloth became a perfect example of the unexpected magic that happens when two brands truly collaborate.
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