Alison Nea, a textile designer from Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, is the founder of Modh. With a background in costume design for film and theatre, she graduated with first-class honours in Design for Stage and Screen from the Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology in 2020. Her career began with work on high-profile films such as Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel, but a desire to explore her creativity more freely inspired her to establish her own brand.

In September of 2024, Alison won a DCCI Future Maker Award and was also selected as a finalist in the textiles category of Irish Country Magazine’s Irish Made Awards, both recognising her innovation and craftsmanship. 

Her journey into fabric dyeing began during her studies, when she designed and hand-dyed costumes for an opera, sparking a passion for creating bespoke colour palettes. She later began to experiment with more eco-friendly dyes from her kitchen and locally foraged plants, a transformative moment on her journey into textiles. Obtaining vibrant yellows from onion skins and pastel pinkish-purples from avocado stones led to a deep fascination with the world of natural dyes. She pursued further education in this art form through online tutorials, books, and classes with other natural dyers.

After a year of experimentation and learning, Alison founded Modh (pronounced "moe") in 2021, a name meaning “method” in Irish, reflecting the brand’s emphasis on slow, sustainable processes. Her first creations were hand-dyed scarves using avocado stones sourced from a local restaurant, embracing a circular approach to design. Natural dyeing has heightened her environmental awareness and connected her to a community of eco-conscious makers and activists across Ireland.

Now specialising in eco-printing, Alison creates unique patterns using leaves and flowers on Irish linen. She also hosts regular workshops to promote sustainable practices in textiles, combining education and artistry. In the last two years, she has also ventured into the world of horticulture and has grown dye plants such as Coreopsis, Dyer’s Chamomile, Woad, Weld and Madder, inspiring her Irish linen collection Grounded.