Madras and Tartan

The history of the Madras handkerchief is complicated by Europe's own traditions of checked fabric design, especially Scottish tartan.

The similarities between Scottish tartan and South Indian Madras have inspired speculation about their relationship since the 1800s. It has been argued that the design and popularity of Madras is a direct result of Scottish influence, specifically the influence of Scottish troops in South India and Scottish enslavers in the Caribbean. However, the dress histories of South India and the African diaspora in the Greater Caribbean demonstrate that Madras handkerchief fashions were products of their own unique cultural histories.

European attributions of South Indian and African Caribbean Madras fashions to Scottish influence are rooted in Europe’s own cultural history of appropriation. Europeans used the word 'tartan' to describe Madras patterns, and used Madras as a substitute for tartan in European dress, leading to overlaps in style and terminology and blurring the lines between Madras and tartan in European fashion.