Textile artist Allan Brown finds a way through grief by locally foraging for nettle, processing the fibres, hand-spinning and weaving them, and then cutting and sewing the coarse fabric into a dress. This seven-year project, poignantly documented through Dylan Howitt’s lens, enables Brown to find solace in the changing seasons, to slow down his mind through the repetitive and embodied nature of craftsmanship, and to ‘change something ugly and painful into something beautiful and protective.’ A labour of love, The Nettle Dress reminds us that a return to slow methods of production and reconnection to nature can be healing for both the planet and humans alike. 

With thanks to Berni Yates and participating schools.