Original Madras Trading Company is a family business with a checkered past. Prasan Shah's (the current owner) grandfather established the company when he arrived in New York City in the early 1970’s with a trunk full of Madras checks. Over time he established our office on 38th Street in the garment district with views of the Empire State Building. Today they still trade from those same offices and continue to supply many of the most renowned names in American clothing. While continuing their business of making and supplying both fabrics and garments from southern India to brands around the world through our New York office, they have initiated a new project making a range of clothing using exclusively hand woven cloth. True to the spirit of his grandfather, their handloom project is a way to remind people of the rich origin story of Madras cloth and its profound ties to both the American and Indian societies and their two tremendously distinct and yet interwoven cultures.