diff --git a/lib/rom/factory/attributes/association.rb b/lib/rom/factory/attributes/association.rb
index 772ee3b..164eca8 100644
--- a/lib/rom/factory/attributes/association.rb
+++ b/lib/rom/factory/attributes/association.rb
@@ -69,13 +69,15 @@ class ManyToOne < Core
         # @api private
         # rubocop:disable Metrics/AbcSize
         def call(attrs, persist: true)
+          return if attrs.key?(name) && attrs[name].nil?
+
           assoc_data = attrs.fetch(name, EMPTY_HASH)
 
-          if assoc_data && assoc_data[assoc.source.primary_key] && !attrs[foreign_key]
+          if assoc_data.is_a?(Hash) && assoc_data[assoc.target.primary_key] && !attrs[foreign_key]
             assoc.associate(attrs, attrs[name])
           elsif assoc_data.is_a?(ROM::Struct)
             assoc.associate(attrs, assoc_data)
-          elsif !(attrs.key?(name) && attrs[name].nil?) && !attrs[foreign_key]
+          elsif !attrs[foreign_key]
             parent = if persist
                        builder.persistable.create(*parent_traits, **assoc_data)
                      else
diff --git a/lib/rom/factory/tuple_evaluator.rb b/lib/rom/factory/tuple_evaluator.rb
index f2e9d29..8b3b073 100644
--- a/lib/rom/factory/tuple_evaluator.rb
+++ b/lib/rom/factory/tuple_evaluator.rb
@@ -15,9 +15,6 @@ class TupleEvaluator
       # @api private
       attr_reader :traits
 
-      # @api private
-      attr_reader :model
-
       # @api private
       attr_reader :sequence
 
@@ -26,10 +23,13 @@ def initialize(attributes, relation, traits = {})
         @attributes = attributes
         @relation = relation.with(auto_struct: true)
         @traits = traits
-        @model = @relation.combine(*assoc_names).mapper.model
         @sequence = Sequences[relation]
       end
 
+      def model(traits)
+        @relation.combine(*assoc_names(traits)).mapper.model
+      end
+
       # @api private
       def defaults(traits, attrs, **opts)
         mergeable_attrs = select_mergeable_attrs(traits, attrs)
@@ -51,7 +51,8 @@ def struct(*traits, **attrs)
 
         attributes.merge!(materialized_callables)
 
-        associations = assoc_names
+        associations = assoc_names(traits)
+          .reject { |name| attrs.key?(name) && attrs[name].nil? }
           .map { |key|
             if (assoc = @attributes[key]) && assoc.count.positive?
               [key, build_assoc_attrs(key, attributes[relation.primary_key], attributes[key])]
@@ -63,7 +64,7 @@ def struct(*traits, **attrs)
         attributes = relation.output_schema[attributes]
         attributes.update(associations)
 
-        model.new(attributes)
+        model(traits).new(attributes)
       end
 
       def build_assoc_attrs(key, fk, value)
@@ -137,19 +138,22 @@ def evaluate_traits(trait_list, attrs, opts)
 
         traits_attrs = self.traits.select { |key, _value| traits[key] }.values.flat_map(&:elements)
         registry = AttributeRegistry.new(traits_attrs)
+
         self.class.new(registry, relation).defaults([], attrs, **opts)
       end
 
       # @api private
       def evaluate_associations(traits, attrs, opts)
-        assocs(traits).associations.each_with_object({}) do |assoc, h|
-          if assoc.dependency?(relation)
-            h[assoc.name] = ->(parent, call_opts) do
+        assocs(traits).associations.each_with_object({}) do |assoc, memo|
+          if attrs.key?(assoc.name) && attrs[assoc.name].nil?
+            memo
+          elsif assoc.dependency?(relation)
+            memo[assoc.name] = ->(parent, call_opts) do
               assoc.call(parent, **opts, **call_opts)
             end
           else
             result = assoc.(attrs, **opts)
-            h.update(result) if result
+            memo.update(result) if result
           end
         end
       end
diff --git a/spec/integration/rom/factory_spec.rb b/spec/integration/rom/factory_spec.rb
index cab4db5..9588857 100644
--- a/spec/integration/rom/factory_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/integration/rom/factory_spec.rb
@@ -84,39 +84,90 @@
     end
 
     context "many-to-one" do
-      before do
-        factories.define(:task) do |f|
-          f.title { "Foo" }
-          f.association(:user)
+      context "with an association that is not aliased" do
+        before do
+          factories.define(:task) do |f|
+            f.title { "Foo" }
+            f.association(:user)
+          end
+
+          factories.define(:user) do |f|
+            f.first_name "Jane"
+            f.last_name "Doe"
+            f.email "janjiss@gmail.com"
+            f.timestamps
+
+            f.association(:tasks)
+          end
         end
 
-        factories.define(:user) do |f|
-          f.first_name "Jane"
-          f.last_name "Doe"
-          f.email "janjiss@gmail.com"
-          f.timestamps
+        it "creates a struct with associated parent" do
+          task = factories.structs[:task, title: "Bar"]
 
-          f.association(:tasks)
+          expect(task.title).to eql("Bar")
+          expect(task.user.first_name).to eql("Jane")
         end
-      end
 
-      it "creates a struct with associated parent" do
-        task = factories.structs[:task, title: "Bar"]
+        it "does not build associated struct if it's set to nil explicitly" do
+          task = factories.structs[:task, user: nil]
 
-        expect(task.title).to eql("Bar")
-        expect(task.user.first_name).to eql("Jane")
-      end
+          expect(task.user).to be_nil
+        end
+
+        it "does not persist associated struct if it's set to nil explicitly" do
+          task = factories[:task, user: nil]
+
+          expect(task.user).to be_nil
+        end
 
-      it "does not build associated struct if it's set to nil explicitly" do
-        task = factories[:task, user: nil]
+        it "creates the associated record with provided attributes" do
+          task = factories[:task, user: {first_name: "John"}]
 
-        expect(task.user).to be_nil
+          expect(task.user.first_name).to eql("John")
+        end
       end
 
-      it "creates the associated record with provided attributes" do
-        task = factories[:task, user: {first_name: "John"}]
+      context "with an aliased association" do
+        before do
+          factories.define(:task) do |f|
+            f.title { "Foo" }
+            f.association(:author)
+          end
+
+          factories.define(:user) do |f|
+            f.first_name "Jane"
+            f.last_name "Doe"
+            f.email "janjiss@gmail.com"
+            f.timestamps
+
+            f.association(:tasks)
+          end
+        end
+
+        it "creates a struct with associated parent" do
+          task = factories.structs[:task, title: "Bar"]
+
+          expect(task.title).to eql("Bar")
+          expect(task.author.first_name).to eql("Jane")
+        end
+
+        it "does not build associated struct if it's set to nil explicitly" do
+          task = factories.structs[:task, author: nil]
+
+          expect(task.author).to be_nil
+        end
+
+        it "does not persist associated struct if it's set to nil explicitly" do
+          task = factories[:task, author: nil]
 
-        expect(task.user.first_name).to eql("John")
+          expect(task.author).to be_nil
+        end
+
+        it "creates the associated record with provided attributes" do
+          task = factories[:task, author: {first_name: "John"}]
+
+          expect(task.author.first_name).to eql("John")
+        end
       end
     end
 
diff --git a/spec/shared/relations.rb b/spec/shared/relations.rb
index b314292..b9e5fc2 100644
--- a/spec/shared/relations.rb
+++ b/spec/shared/relations.rb
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@
       schema(infer: true) do
         associations do
           belongs_to :user
+          belongs_to :user, as: :author
         end
       end
     end