An indigenous Himalayan material is re-emerging as a serious alternative to cotton and synthetics.
As the textile industry searches for fibres that cut emissions, water use and chemical dependency, nettle—also known as Allo—stands out for combining environmental performance with social impact. Extracted from the bark of the Himalayan giant nettle (Girardinia diversifolia), it is a natural bast fibre rooted in indigenous craft systems yet increasingly relevant to modern sustainability agendas.
Nettle grows wild across the Himalayan belt, requiring no irrigation, fertilisers or pesticides. Its long, cellulose-rich fibres deliver high tensile strength, good moisture absorption, natural insulation and inherent antibacterial properties. Once dismissed as a subsistence craft input, nettle is now being reframed as a technical natural fibre suitable for apparel, upholstery and home textiles.
Its processing model strengthens the case. Harvested by hand, the bark is retted using water or dew, softened through natural alkaline treatments such as wood ash, and then spun and woven with minimal energy input. The result is a fully biodegradable fibre with no microplastic risk and a far smaller environmental footprint than cotton or regenerated cellulosics.
Crucially, nettle production supports women-led craft economies in fragile mountain regions and reinforces biodiversity rather than replacing it with monoculture farming. That alignment of climate resilience and livelihoods gives the fibre strategic relevance as ESG regulation tightens.
Several artisan-led brands are now bringing nettle to global markets. AppleOak FibreWorks specialises in handwoven Himalayan Allo fabrics, while Handa Textiles blends nettle with cotton for fashion and interiors. Himalayan Allo Udhyog and Ayurkruti are scaling supply through cooperative and natural-dye networks.
For an industry seeking alternatives to water-intensive cotton and fossil-based fibres, nettle offers a compelling proposition: a high-performance, low-impact material that carries both ecological logic and cultural authenticity.
