Atlas of Fashion Designers

Alexandra Moura

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Alexandra Moura

Alexandra’s designs evoke a somber, exhausted landscape; a misty, futuristic panorama pop-

ulated by garments with pleats and knots that intersect to form organic fabrics; a second

skin, melancholy yet comfortable, created out of elegant materials and pale colors that

warmly embrace and shield the body.

Alexandra was born in Lisbon, where she received her training as a designer. It is easy to

appreciate the nostalgic atmosphere of the city in her work. Nonetheless, her creations

do not represent a yearning for the past; retro references are few and far between, and

there is an absence of sentimental longing for times past and traditional Portuguese fado

music. Instead, an existential sadness sets its gaze on the near future. For this reason, the

designer dresses artists that embody the new, modern, sophisticated spirit of Lisbon such

as Madredeus lead singer Teresa Salgueiro.  e rough sophistication of her garments could

very well be employed in the recreation of a science fi ction movie, her designs and colors

reminiscent of the sober futurism of Mad Max and Blade Runner. An elegant, disaff ected

look. Simple, comfortable, and the very opposite of ornate.

Since 2001, Alexandra’s career has drawn attention to itself through the designer’s par-

ticipation in numerous events and projects. Her collections are shown twice a year during

Lisbon Fashion Week, and her designs have appeared at various European events such as

the Biennale Internationale du Design in Saint Étienne, Bread and Butter in Barcelona,

and the 12th Belgrade Fashion Week. With the same fl exibility characteristic of her work,

Alexandra continues to carve out a place for herself in the world of international fashion,

exhibiting her Portuguese spirit by reinventing a Lisbon of the future.

Photography by Diana Dias

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Alexandra Moura

Refl ecting her exhaustive study of the

human body, the Lisboan designer

presents this Fall/Winter 2007–2008

collection based on the structures of

organic tissues like muscle, tendons

and cartilage.

© Rui Vasco/courtesy of Moda Lisboa

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Alexandra Moura

© Rui Vasco/courtesy of Moda Lisboa

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Alexandra Moura

- What inspires you?

A photo, a person, an object, a sensation, a feeling. Everything that is beautiful through my eyes, everything that has

the capability to put me in another world, another dimension, everything that makes me dream and gives me the power

to have ideas.

- What is your dream as a designer?

 e constant challenge of creating and achieving ideas. It is, no doubt, the designer’s dream.

- What has been the most important achievement of your career?

My main achievement is the fact that I have a company that produces and sells my ideas.

- How important are trends?

Trends are important mainly because of information and the constant updates on the times we are living. It is impor-

tant to look for the trends, but they are just information. With my creations, I don’t follow trends; I just follow ideas

and concepts, which I explore until exhaustion, fi nally arriving at the collection.

- Fashion has always refl ected a certain era. What does fashion refl ect in the twenty-fi rst century?

It is a refl ection of the fusion of several eras in a single moment, the fusion of various criticisms and analyses of diff erent

states of mind. It has all become a special, singular twenty-fi rst century fashion.

- What book would you recommend to every fashion designer?

Histoires de la mode, written by Didier Grumbach.

Alexandra Moura

Rua Latino Coelho, 33, 1º esq.

1050-132 Lisbon

Portugal

www.alexandramoura.com

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Alexandra Moura

© Rui Vasco/courtesy of Moda Lisboa