Lara Mendonca Guterres Torres

I am a Senior Lecturer at the Fashion and Textiles Department at the University of Portsmouth. My research is concerned with theoretical issues of criticality in contemporary expanded fashion practices. My work draws on Derridean deconstruction and notions of intertextuality in film. To date, I have focused on theoretical notions such as Rosalind Krauss’s expanded field (1979) to facilitate the understanding of what might be a post-disciplinary approach to fashion. I conduct practice-based research in addition to written work, making short films, installations and fashion performance pieces.

After graduating in Fashion Design in 2004, I worked as a freelance designer for the Portuguese Fashion and Textiles industry. My graduate collection won the ‘New Blood [Sangue Novo]’ Award in 2003 at the Lisbon Fashion Week, which sponsored an international internship at the Alexander McQueen Studio in London. Upon returning to Portugal, I gained international press and publicity at the Lisbon Fashion Week [published in Elle, Vogue, Wallpaper]. I managed my independent brand ‘Lara Torres’ between 2005 – 2011, producing small experimental fashion collections sold in Japan, Germany, and Portugal. In 2011, I graduated MA in Fashion Artefact from the London College of Fashion with a practice-based project exploring a fashion film titled ‘An Impossible Wardrobe for the Invisible’. This film project has been featured in many international exhibitions.

In 2019, I was awarded my PhD from the London College of Fashion entitled Towards a Practice of Unmaking: The Essay Film as a Critical Discourse for Fashion in the Expanded Field. The Unmaking project was shown internationally, at the ’State of Fashion' Biennale in Arnhem in 2018 and the Transfashional project, curated by Dobrila Denegri (2016 - 2020) with exhibitions in Museums and galleries across London, Warsaw, Vienna, Kalmar, and Rimini. 

Since 2016, I have been teaching at the University of Portsmouth in the Fashion and Textiles Department. I am also a pathway leader for the MA Fashion Artefact [Low residency] and Senior Lecturer in Fashion Artefact at the London College of Fashion, University of Arts London since 2022.

I am the Research and Innovation Group Lead for Fashion, Textiles and Material Futures at the University of Portsmouth. I have acted as an external adviser for doctoral students at the University of Portsmouth and an External Examiner for the MA in Fashion Design at Northumbria University.

My research interests lie at the intersection of fashion, fine arts, and film, delving into the field of expanded fashion practice and theory. Positioned at this interdisciplinary junction, my work transcends the traditional boundaries of fashion, engaging in both practical and theoretical explorations.

At the core of my artistic practice is an interrogation of fashion's essence, liberated from its conventional disciplinary confines. Rather than merely adhering to established norms, I view fashion practices as being dynamic tools for unraveling its multifaceted nature. Through my research, I aim to decode fashion not merely as a superficial adornment but as a profound manifestation of belief and cultural ethos.

Theoretical underpinnings drawn from Derridean deconstruction and intertextuality in film shape my inquiries into the complex interplay between fashion, body, materiality, and culture. Building upon Rosalind Krauss's seminal concept of the expanded field, I seek to foster a post-disciplinary approach to fashion, one that transcends conventional categorizations and embraces a fluid, multifaceted understanding.

My research methodology encompasses both theoretical discourse and practical exploration. Through written analysis, short films, installations, and fashion performances, I aim to illustrate the intrinsic connection between fashion-making practices and the embodiment of cultural narratives. By situating fashion within broader socio-political and cultural contexts, I seek to underscore its significance as a vehicle for self-expression and societal commentary.

Ultimately, my research aims to clarify the profound insights that fashion practices can offer into the intricacies of human identity, societal dynamics, and cultural discourse. By embracing a holistic approach that melds theory with praxis, I aspire to contribute to a richer, more nuanced understanding of fashion's transformative potential in shaping our perceptions of self and society.