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No one embodies the ease of island living like Tommy Bahama—and nothing quite captures that “I’m on holiday” feeling like a classic Madras check shirt. So it just made sense when we partnered with the Original Madras Trading Company (OMTC) to create the ultimate spring-ready capsule collection.
OMTC has been in the game for five decades now, and it’s the last mill left that handweaves the one-of-a-kind Madras fabric, the original resort wear fabrication. The family-run business has passed down from grandfather to father to son, with Prasan Shah currently at the helm.
“I discovered OMTC at the Chicago Collective show. It immediately stood out as something special, with bold colors and a hint of playfulness,” Tommy Bahama Executive Vice President of Product Design Bradley O’Brien said. “My early summertime memories at the lake include a lot of Madras. To me, it is the quintessential and original cool (and cooling) fabric. The combination of summer, colors, and relaxed vibes felt like a perfect marriage of our brands.”
After learning about OMTC in Chicago, O’Brien and our product design team linked up with Shah to bring the collaboration to life, starting with a trip to New York.
“The Tommy Bahama team came into the OMTC archives in the Garment District of Manhattan and picked out patterns that evoked Tommy Bahama's design sensibilities while taking into account OMTC's yarn library and weavers’ abilities,” Shah said. “What you see in this collaborative collection is a clear coming-together of Tommy Bahama's design vision and OMTC's expertise in handloom.”
This limited-edition collection preserves the rich, colorful heritage of Madras fabric in every one-of-a-kind garment, featuring traditionally handwoven cloth made on handlooms in Madras, Southern India. Automated machines aren’t part of their process, meaning each weaver gives each style their full attention.
“Our master handloom weavers can weave one meter of cloth in three to five hours depending on the complexity of the pattern. This means on average, the cloth for a single shirt takes us eight hours to weave,” Shah explained. “The complexity of a cloth design comes from the size of the checks and stripes together with the number of yarn colors.”
Handweaving creates some slight irregularities that are an inherent part of the process. Each piece is unique and has an individual nature by design, ensuring each shirt looks—and feels—special.
“Each weaver has their own pace, rhythm, force, or strength like all skilled craftspeople do with their particular tools. Each weaver strives for perfect design accuracy, symmetry, and consistency, and their skill and experience allow them to come very close to that absolute perfection,” Shah said. “But small irregularities in stripe widths and slight inconsistencies in weave density give handloom cloth its personality and unique beauty.”
No two shirts will be exactly alike in this collection, but each one will make you feel like you’re on vacation—and knowing that they were expertly crafted with care and intent only makes it feel even more special.
“I would like people to feel that they are going to have a great day while wearing something from this collection,” Shah said. “Tommy Bahama so strongly evokes a tropical vibe and so fully captures the essence of laid-back American leisurewear that it could not be a better match to our handloom Madras with its origins and associations with the Caribbean and a tropical resort lifestyle.”
There’s a sense of unparalleled luxury that comes with our collaboration with OMTC. The earnest effort behind each item lets you effortlessly relax. It’s a dedication to quality that’s five decades in the making, and it all runs in Shah’s family. That rich heritage—much like our decades-long belief in elevated island living—makes our partnership a perfect pairing in paradise.
“My grandfather and then my father recognized that handwoven Madras cloth is an exceptional product and the foundation of our company’s success and longevity. I will continue to produce and promote handloom Madras because it would be a tragedy to see it disappear,” Shah said. “We have made a commitment to our handloom project, and that is driven by a desire to see beautiful things made and to continue a family legacy.”
Whatever your style, there’s something in our OMTC collaboration fit for you. Whether you’re looking for a subtle hit of check under the collar, a striking patchwork crewneck, or an allover Madras button-down, you’ll instantly feel that getaway feeling the second you reach for one.
