Allan Brown

Allan is a weaver, spinner, and dyer with a focus on sustainability, traditional crafts and natural fibres, notably nettles, flax, hemp and wool. He has been teaching and sharing these skills for over a decade and is best known as the maker of ‘The Nettle Dress’.

Allan has appeared on numerous podcasts such as Accidental Gods, Garmology, the Long Thread Podcast and School of Stitched Textiles and his work his been featured in The Guardian, The Times, Resurgence Magazine, Craft and Rake’s Progress amongst others. He is a member of the Heritage Craft Association, The Guild of Weavers, Dyers & Spinners and a long-term allotment holder and grower of food, fibre and dye plants.

Approach to teaching
My approach to teaching is very hands-on and focused on embodying skills through familiarity with locally sourced and sustainably grown materials.

What inspires your own work?
I’m inspired by the long and rich textile history of the British Isles and how this tradition can inform us as we move into a low-carbon future.