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Loominous "Bleeding" Madras GMTO: A Classic!

aucociscokid

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It's back after 45 years! SF is Ground Zero for the return of handloomed "bleeding" madras. Only 13 available.

No excuse to be so callous · Dress yourself in bleeding madras ...Vampire Weekend...


http://www.styleforummarket.com/loo...hentic-bleeding-madras-shirt-styleforum-gmto/

My theory (as it relates to men’s clothing) is that a style of clothing—or a specific item of clothing—only becomes a classic if the elements of design are pleasing to the eye and, functionally, the garment works.

This is true of shirts made from madras AND specifically “Bleeding Madras”.

I am talking about the madras that all the “cool” guys were wearing back in the 1960’s. Twin boys wore matching madras shirts to church, their father wore a madras sport coat, their mother a madras scarf. It was the "King of Style!"

Hand loomed in India, they were dyed in such a way that the colors blended together and didn’t fade away, creating a unique and beautiful patina, like an old favorite wallet or a brass bell. The demise of bleeding madras occurred only because the dyes were deemed environmentally unsafe. Authentic bleeding madras has not been available for more than forty-five years.

I remembered bleeding madras, loved it, and took on the challenge of duplicating a madras fabric that was environmentally safe and possessed the same character as the original. Environmentally safe dyes were already available. All that was missing was the dyers and weavers who remembered the process.

It was a long search, but ultimately I found a village in India with one elder who did.

I knew the original Madras shirts were made by Gant in New Haven, so made in New England was another requirement. That's why the New England Shirt Co. is making ours.

They received the initial shipment of yardage in July. By August a retailer in Portland, Maine, who was excited as we are was offering on a trial basis the first bleeding madras shirt for sale in over four decades. The proprietor is old enough to remember the character and comfort of this shirt (a silky hand), and he felt we had the “Real McCoy”. He sold them out in four days.

As patterns sell out, new ones will be offered on a pre-order basis here. The most that will be available of any one pattern is 40 shirts. As patterns sell, they will be "retired" and not offered again anywhere.

Here's the link to the first pattern being offered (the same one that sold out in four days it was so popular):

http://www.styleforummarket.com/loo...hentic-bleeding-madras-shirt-styleforum-gmto/
 
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aucociscokid

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Loominous "Bleeding" Madras Shirts Spec Sheet. Ours are cut to the trim body measurements


700
 
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Gus

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Cool! I remember well true bleeding Madras in the 60's and early 70's. It not only bleeds but has a far more interesting irregular "slubby" texture which is especially nice in summer. My favorite colors where the ones with greens and pinks as well as blues and reds. Can you give more details about future color combos that will be offered?
 

aucociscokid

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These are the next three (3) patterns we'll be offering IF/WHEN we receive 20 orders (or more) for the first one currently being offered. We'll have pictures of sample shirts to post in about 7-10 days (Nov.19-22). Perhaps members can help us out by telling us if they just want one pattern offered at a time, or all three at once. The first one has to receive at least 20 orders in order for us to continue, however. We respectfully ask for your help and support and will reward you by continuing to offer not only these very beautiful madras shirts in which (we're told) one can "see" the weaver's soul, but by offering exclusively on SF madras sports jackets, walking shorts and trousers Made In the USA (as our shirts are) by (respectively) Southwick and Hertling and by becoming a SF Industry Insider. As in the case of the first one, each offering will be limited basis of a maximum of 40 garments (probably less as far as the sports jackets are concerned) and ONLY to SF members.



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ltontheqt

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Is the one you linked to at the top of this thread the second one above? Trying to visualize how these translate.
 

aucociscokid

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The sleeve lengths are as follows:


SML 33 1/2

MED 33 1/2

LGE 34 1/2

XLG 36 1/2

XXL 36 1/2

All sleeve length have 1/2" shrinkage built in.
 
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aucociscokid

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No. It isn't. This is a better representation of it. [ATTACHMENT=12069]WP_20151007_001.jpg (361k. jpg file)[/ATTACHMENT]
 

aucociscokid

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These are pictures of the madras being dyed and woven in a village 200 km. west of Chennai (Madras), India. All manually. We're the only manufacturer doing handloom. All the others are powerloomed. Our production is 4-6 yards/day/loom. Powerloom is 50 yards + day.


700

700

700

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aucociscokid

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To quote Vampire Weekend, those paragons of hipster prep, “No excuse to be so callous/ Dress yourself in bleeding madras."

Link to an excellent article on madras by an American Columbia U. grad now based in Mumbai.

http://www.caravanmagazine.in/reportage/check-republic-madras.

See esp.

There is little to prevent retailers from selling fabrics produced on power looms as handloom madras.

See our Loominous looms in the previously posted pic.
 

Takster

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The sleeve lengths are as follows:


SML 33 1/2

MED 33 1/2

LGE 34 1/2

XLG 36 1/2

XXL 36 1/2

All sleeve length have 1/2" shrinkage built in.

Are these lengths measured before or after washing? Also, since these shirts will be made to order, would it be possible to purchase a shirt with a different sleeve length than what is specified above?
 

aucociscokid

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The fabric is soaked in water for 24 hrs. in India as part of the dyeing/weaving process, according to an Indian government lab report subsequent shrinkage Is <1%. They're made to order to the extent that once we have 20 orders, we'll start making them. But, customization is not possible with a New England Shirt Co. shirt. The spec sheet is the spec sheet.
 
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aucociscokid

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The dyeing/weaving process is quite intricate.

First the master dyer mixes the dyes with water, until he judges the color of the mixture to be right. Then he dips a pure white hank of yarn into it until it "takes" the dyes. Then, he judges whether it makes perfectly the other hanks he previously dyed.

Then a warp is made by the master weaver. Warps are always made in the early morning, and usually in the shade, because hot sunlight will fade the warp yarns. The warpers first set up a bamboo warp frame, then attach dyed "80s" yarn, a strand at a time, to the beam at the foot of the frame, then "walk" it 60 feet to the head of the frame, and sley it in one of two reeds there. For our fabric, 5,000 yarns have to be "walked" from one end of the warp frame to the other, before the sun grows hot. That's 3 miles!

Then it is inspected, and frayed yarns are replaced, and broken yarns are tied with weaver's knots. Next, starch sizing is slung on the warp yarns with bristly brushes, and burnished with bamboo sticks, to give them a smooth, even finish for weaving. And finally, the warpers tie off the yarns by colors, roll then up on the beam, and carries it to the master weaver. Warping is arduous, painstaking handwork.

Pushing foot pedals attached to the harness, the master weaver raises and lowers the warp yarns, while he sends the shuttle flying and weaving through then, with his hands.

Once the weaving is finished, it is washed in spring water in a "washing hole" which gives it a special softness and texture.
It's spread in 25-foot lengths of cloth in the water and then soaked. Washers work the cloth back and forth with their hands and bare feet, cleaning and finishing it.

After the cloth is washed, it is spread out to dry. And at day's end, the ground would be totally, colorfully covered with hundreds of lengths of Madras cloth, drying in the hot sun. Beautiful!
 

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