‘It’s extreme slow fashion’: Meet the sustainable Irish designer who makes fabric dyes from the plants in her garden
Creator Alison Nea’s business is the perfect antidote to the fast fashion that’s damaging the planet
Alison Nea, creator and designer of Modh, which is named with the Irish word for method. Photo: Mark hill
Modh unisex designs modelled by Alessandra Azeviche and Patrick Stefan
Modh slow-fashion designs modelled by Alessandra Azeviche
Alison Nea, creator and designer of Modh, grew her clothing brand from the soil up — and much of it in her own garden. The designer is hands on with every step of her creative process, from sowing seeds to sewing the final garments. Love and patience is the backbone of this brand, named with the Irish word for method.
“This is my first collection, I’ve been building up to this.” Nea says of her naturally dyed linen wear. “I grew the flowers for my capsule collection, Grounded, myself last summer. When I keep flowers, I dry and prep them. I’m also planning on freezing flowers this year. This allows me to use them at a later date. It’s very meditative work but the prep alone takes hours.”
Every step of her design process is lengthy and thoughtful; she wants this unisex collection to be worn for years to come and not get caught up with fashion fads. “I never really follow fashion trends. Grounded is based on 1950s French women’s workwear. That was my blank canvas, then I added the print. I went with warm yellows, pinks and oranges.”
Modh unisex designs modelled by Alessandra Azeviche and Patrick Stefan
This warm palette was achieved by making dyes from plants she foraged, such as weld and madder roots. When mixed together these give a lovely warm yellow tone.
Nea is now growing her own madder roots, which take two to three years to mature: “If anything happens to them I’ll be devastated. It’s extreme slow fashion.”
Embracing the beauty of imperfection is key in her work. “We need to become more open-minded about natural dye, it will never be ‘perfect’. You can see blotches of the colour where it isn’t completely solid. I love that though. It’s like nature: it’s not perfect either.”
And this dye isn’t just a reflection of nature, it’s kind to it as well. “Any water I use is OK to be put back into the earth, it’s all completely natural,” Nea says.
The flower pattern on the garments pictured here is a result of a technique called eco printing. “You steam the flowers on and roll them into fabric. The pressure when you roll it is what transfers the dye.”
Modh slow-fashion designs modelled by Alessandra Azeviche
The designer also offers a workshop in Co Dublin for those who want to create their own natural print. Nea leads the participants on a foraging walk up Killiney hill, where they collect flowers and leaves which they then print on Irish linen.
Her love for her work is obvious. “I want every piece to be curated and bespoke, it should reflect the wearer’s personality.” With her clothes made to order, she promises a garment that you will keep for years to come. “I will pour my heart and soul into every single piece. So it is extremely special.”
So, what’s next for this ‘au naturel’ designer? “I’m just going to see where my garden takes me this summer.”
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