Blowout Podcast Returns with “Madras - Bleeding Out a Colonial Fabric”

Our podcast is back with the first of a new educational series

Hi, I’m Heddels publisher David Shuck.

You may remember me from previous Heddels podcasts like our History of Denim series, the Rise and Fall of Made in USA, and the one where Reed, Albert, and I just shot the breeze for an hour every week. 

I’ve been writing about owning things you want to use forever for well over a decade now. I’ve been everywhere from downtown Los Angeles to the deserts of Pakistan to understand where and how to find quality goods and the history of the people that make them.

I’ve written and edited thousands of articles on jeans, boots, backpacks, bandanas, and nearly anything else made of cloth and leather. And, looking back, there are a few topics that I want to go a little deeper on in this new seasonal podcast series.

Each episode, we’ll tackle a single item, whether that’s huarache sandals, Type II denim jackets, or the cast iron frying pan and I promise that by the end of it you’ll know:

• Why it’s important

• Where it came from

• How it’s made

• Who’s making them today

• How to take care of it

• And, the real reason people listen to podcasts, at least three fun facts you can share at parties

We’ll be releasing these in mini-seasons with items appropriate to the weather, at least in the northern hemisphere (sorry Australians!)

This first episode is about Madras, the Indian fabric that’s really only famous in the US because Brooks Brothers cleverly remarketed a bad batch of it in the 50s. Let me know what you think and if you have any topics you’d like to hear about by emailing us at ⁠[email protected]⁠, I hope you enjoy.

You can listen via the link above and on the following platforms. If you like it, please be sure to review and subscribe. We have quite a few more lined up!

• Apple Podcasts

• Spotify

• Youtube

Brands mentioned:

• ⁠The Original Madras Trading Company⁠

• ⁠J.Press⁠

• ⁠Gitman Bros. Vintage⁠

• ⁠Iron Heart⁠

• ⁠Beams Plus⁠

Read the full article by Albert Muzquiz here. Production by Sean Thornton and theme music by Andrew Ryan.