Textile artist Allan Brown spends seven years making a dress by hand, just from the fibre of locally foraged stinging nettles. This is ‘hedgerow couture’, the greenest of slow fashion, and it is also Allan’s medicine. It’s how he survives the death of his wife, and how he finds a beautiful way to honour her. The challenge of making zero carbon clothing sourced within a few miles of his home means re-learning ancient crafts and recalls the fairy tale ‘Wild Swans’. THE NETTLE DRESS is a documentary which follows Allan’s whole journey through all the seasons and years. Foraging, spinning, weaving, cutting, and sewing the cloth. Finally the healing vision of the dress back in the woods where the nettles were picked, worn by one of his daughters. ‘Grasping the Nettle’ is at the heart of the film. Making a dress this way becomes devotional, with every thread representing hours of mindful loving craft. A modern-day fairy-tale and hymn to the healing power of nature and slow craft.
“A husband’s grief becomes a thing of beauty in lyrical documentary” **** The Guardian
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Rated 12A | Running Time 1 hr 8 min | Screened in English with English Subtitles