Nina Gautier

Taking the sting out of nettles

Department: Man and Well being
Website: -

Urtica

Sometimes the most unlikely of raw materials can provide the richest of resources. This is the case with Urtica – better known as the stinging nettle. This unwanted weed has a bad image because any contact brings on a painful rash. And yet, as Nina Gautier reveals, the plant’s properties mean it can be used for everything from medicines to fertiliser. Nina focused on the nettle’s potential for textiles. She used every part of the plant in woven blankets that are surprisingly strong, soft and silky. She mixed nettle fibres into her fabrics and made dyes in multiple shades of green, letting the hidden merits of Urtica shine through.