Lara Mendonca Guterres Torres

Lara Mendonca Guterres Torres is a Senior Lecturer in the Fashion and Textiles Department at the University of Portsmouth, Faculty of Creative & Cultural Industries, School of Architecture, Art and Design. She also holds a Senior Lecturer and Pathway Leader position for the MA Fashion Artefact at the London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London. She leads the Research and Innovation Group for Fashion, Textiles and Material Futures at Portsmouth and serves as an External Examiner for Northumbria University’s MA Fashion Design.

Education:

• Ph.D., Towards a Practice of Unmaking: The Essay Film as a Critical Discourse for Fashion in the Expanded Field, University of the Arts London (2019)
• MA, Fashion Artefact, University of the Arts London (2011)
• BA (Hons), Fashion Design, Center for Vocational Training of Textiles and Clothing (2004)

Her research lies at the intersection of fashion, fine arts, and film, focusing on expanded fashion practice, critical theory, material innovation, and sustainability. Drawing from Derridean deconstruction and Rosalind Krauss’s expanded field, she explores fashion beyond disciplinary boundaries through practice-based research, including short films, installations, and fashion performances. Her work interrogates fashion’s essence as a cultural and philosophical discourse rather than mere adornment.

The recent articles and research outputs reflect a strong trend in sustainable fashion, circular design, craft methodologies, and the use of film as critical discourse. Her work increasingly emphasizes collaborative and educational approaches to upcycling, ethical material innovation, and the ontological possibilities of fashion knowledge. She contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals through sustainability and education.

Scientific Awards:

• New Blood (Sangue Novo) Award, Lisbon Fashion Week (2003)

She advises PhD students and has supervised at least one thesis. She has received recognition for her creative work, including international exhibitions and press contributions. She leads research initiatives and collaborates across institutions, contributing to academic governance as an external examiner. Her work bridges creative practice, critical theory, and sustainable innovation in fashion education and research.

Labs and Research Groups:

• Research and Innovation Group for Fashion, Textiles and Material Futures, University of Portsmouth
• MA Fashion Artefact pathway, London College of Fashion