Macclesfield Silk Printing
A Guide to Ancient Madder Ties
In a small town roughly 25 kilometers from Manchester lies Macclesfield, the home of English silk printing. Once the worlds largest producer of silk, Macclesfield’s silk printing industry dates back to the mid-16th century.
Since years a very special silk has gained attention in the international menswear world and is famous for its rich color pallet and three dimensional effect: Ancient Madder Silk.
Today only a handful very specialized mills can be found that still produce this incomparable screen printed silk in Macclesfield as production is complicated and time consuming. Ancient Madder silk is not only famous for its matte finished colors offering burgundies, mustards, greens and blues but also for its superb quality in paisley or floral patterns.
Originally it was the rubia tinctoria plant used for making dyes that provided the color and matte finish for madder. The silk is dyed with the traditionally dark and dusty colors of the madder plant.
Ancient Madder truly found their place on Ivy League campuses during the mid-20th century. Thinking of preppy styles we believe that it is good for both formal and casual outfits adding an outstanding vintage character. To add a relaxed elegance we produce our Ancient Madder ties in an untipped threefold construction with handrolled ends and little interlining giving it a modern twist without loosing its traditional character allowing a perfect knot that is less bulky.
