A humble Indian fabric became a symbol of luxury in 1960s America

> Some say it was inspired by Scottish tartans, though it differs in several important ways (madras features neither the black lines nor the two-by-two weave of tartan, and is made of cotton, not wool).

> woven using lightweight 60-count yarn for the warp (thread held in place on the loom) and slightly heavier 40-count yarn for the weft (thread woven horizontally through the warp) before being dyed. The natural dyes were made from laterites, indigo blue, turmeric and local sesame seed oil, all of which gave the cloth a distinctive scent.

> But the most exciting quality Nair pitched to Jacobson, Karkaria said, was the fabric’s weakness-as-strength — it would bleed with every wash, creating a new kind of check and a “new” garment.

That's like saying JavaScript, C++, Go -- I can't tell the difference.

OK great, so why don't you go learn it instead of dismissing it?

It has nothing to do with marketing. Madras and tartan come from totally different parts of the world. They're completely different fabrics with totally different origins. (The relationship between plaid and tartan is a little more complicated.)

They are very different fabrics, namely that tartan is made from wool, while Madras from cotton.

https://www.putthison.com/q-and-answer-whats-the-difference-...

What a dismissive, reductive take.

The article explains at depth what made the madras fabric different than other plaids. Just because you don’t have enough interest or experience in looking at fabrics to be able to distinguish between them, doesn’t mean those differences don’t exist.

I for one found it fascinating and would like to see washdown swatch or panel samples comparing it new vs after 1, 2, washes and beyond. I also appreciated the clever marketing pivot after complaints popped up.

I can tell Madras or not Madras easily but not so much plaid or tartan.

Disclaimer: I am from the region and know the pattern very well.BTW Madras is also the British name for the city of Chennai.

Beer, water, urine. I drink them all, I can’t tell the difference.