November 24, 2025

Conversation in Colour: Tony interviews Collage Artist Constantin Prozorov

The perennial question regarding fashion and art is clearly answered in the work of artist Constantin Prozorov. He also offers another example of the internationalism of fashion by being born in Kazakhstan, of German nationality, living and working in Paris and whose work is seen across the world.

He composes his own visual worlds after training in Munich in Fashion and Communication Design, then moving to Berlin to pursue his solo career.

He creates visual worlds which reflect his own curiosities, inspirations, and dreams. He has, like Lewis Carroll his own original view of a magical realm down the rabbit hole into Wonderland.

The multi layered narratives using digital technology and collage mix cultures, legendary figures, and global landscapes to create immersive storytelling for a broad range of consumers and clients.

 “His compositions are defined by a kaleidoscope of characters, symbols and motifs, inviting both literal and surreal interpretations based on each viewer’s personal experiences. Luxury fashion and reimagined objects, mythical creatures, and mesmerising textures, nature-inspired forms and urban environments in one enigmatic image.”

Prozorov has reinvented the centuries old craft of collage and whipped into the twenty first century. Thus, linking him to collaborate with international luxury brands such as Moncler, BMW, Gucci, and LVMH who see his work matching their aspirational products. At the same time magazine editorial at the same level, such as Vogue, Harpers Bazaar and L’Official offers a different opportunity to display his vision.

Words & Interview by Tony Glenville

Above; photograph taken by Sarah Staiger

Cellotape: What’s your earliest creative memory?

Constantin: I grew up in Almaty, surrounded by the mountains of Kazakhstan, and one of my earliest creative memories is sitting on the floor with a stack of magazines, scissors and coloured pencils. I would draw imaginary scenes and then cut out pictures of buildings, animals or patterns to collage them into the drawings, creating my own little dream worlds. Even then, I loved combining unlikely elements palaces next to planets, animals next to spacecraft and seeing where my imagination could take me.

Cellotape: When did you start to absorb images?

Constantin: Images have always been a portal for me. As a child I was captivated by fantastical films from directors like Tim Burton and Steven Spielberg, and later by the dream‑like photography of Tim Walker and David LaChapelle. In my teenage years I devoured books about artists such as Hieronymus Bosch and Salvador Dalí, absorbing both Renaissance and Surrealist visual languages. All of those influences cinema, photography, painting formed a visual library in my mind that I still draw upon today.

Cellotape: What was school like for you?

Constantin: I was an odd combination of daydreamer and diligent student. Academically I did well, but my mind was often elsewhere visualising scenes, sketching, thinking about colours. I always felt a little different from my peers, which pushed me to search for my own path. Later I studied fashion and communication design in Munich; that formal training taught me how to turn those daydreams into polished visual narratives.

Above; Louis Vuitton

Cellotape: What are your cultural and family influences?

Constantin: My upbringing was a mix of cultures: the nomadic heritage of Central Asia, the Soviet aesthetic of my childhood, and later the Western influences I encountered when I moved to Germany and France. My parents are working‑class; they taught me the value of hard work and encouraged my curiosity. Those layered influences made me feel comfortable crossing boundaries between high and low culture, East and West, past and future and that’s what you see in my collages.

Cellotape: What single lesson did college teach you?

Constantin: To tell a story visually. Studying fashion and communication design forced me to think about narrative, context and audience. A beautiful image isn’t enough; it needs to communicate something, to transport the viewer somewhere. That lesson structure your fantasy has stayed with me.

Cellotape: What was your first job after graduating?

Constantin: My first job was as an assistant to the couture designer Gustavo Lins in Paris (Atelier Gustavolins). I worked on pattern cutting and learned about drape, texture and the craftsmanship behind garments. That experience grounded me in the realities of fashion and later informed my work with brands.

Above; Louis Vuitton

Cellotape: What was your time at Condé Nast like?

Constantin: Condé Nast in Paris was like a university all over again, but in the real world. I worked on visual concepts for titles like Vogue and Glamour, surrounded by brilliant photographers, stylists and editors. I learned how fashion imagery functions on a global stage and how to weave art and commerce together. It was an inspiring environment, but it also made me realise I wanted to develop my own voice.

Cellotape: Where and when did the first piece you created feel one hundred percent you and right?

Constantin: In 2018 I created an animated collage for Gucci’s fashion diary. It was the first time I combined hundreds of layers, animation and sound to build a world that felt completely mine surreal, ironic, rooted in fashion history yet utterly fantastical. When I saw the final piece, I knew I had found my medium.

Cellotape: What and who are your influences in your narrative and visual language?

Constantin: I’m inspired by artists who blur boundaries: Andy Warhol’s pop sensibility and Jeff Koons’ playful scale, as well as the dream‑like worlds of Mexican Surrealists such as Frida Kahlo and Remedios Varo. Filmmakers like Wes Anderson and Tim Burton influence my colour palettes and quirky compositions. I also look to the pioneers of collage Picasso, the Dadaists and the broader Surrealist movement and to photographers Peter Lindbergh and Herb Ritts, whose refined, cinematic aesthetics inform how I compose figures and form.

Above; Moncler

Cellotape: What and who are your influences in fashion and style?

Constantin: Fashion has always been a conversation with art for me. I admire visionaries like Vivienne Westwood, Yves Saint Laurent, Rei Kawakubo and Virgil Abloh for their ability to challenge norms. Historically, collaborations like Dalí and Schiaparelli, and more recently Alexander McQueen and Damien Hirst or Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama, show me how art and fashion can feed each other.

Cellotape: Do you want to say anything about AI and its effect on creativity?

Constantin: AI is a tool, not a replacement for human imagination. I use AI to experiment with textures, to generate unexpected images and elements. But the vision, the narrative and the emotional intent remain mine. If used thoughtfully, AI can expand the possibilities of collage; if used carelessly, it risks creating soulless images. It’s important to remember that technology should serve creativity, not dictate it.

Cellotape: A dream narrative/subject/model/sitter for you to have?

Constantin: I’m increasingly drawn to the idea of stepping behind the camera as a film director bringing my collage aesthetics into a live‑action narrative. One day I’d love to direct a feature that combines my love of storytelling with real actors, sets and costumes. In parallel, I’m fascinated by pop‑culture mythology; I’d like to create a series of collages that reimagine celebrity culture in surreal, introspective ways both celebrating and questioning it. Another dream is to write my own book, weaving together my influences, process and the broader history of collage to share with future artists.

Above; Gucci

Cellotape: The things and moments you love in the creation process?

Constantin: I love the moment when disparate fragments begin to speak to each other when a photography, a floral motif and a piece of 3D image suddenly create a narrative. I also cherish the “painting with light” stage: adjusting colours and shadows until the composition breathes. The final phase, adding subtle animation to make an image come alive, is like watching a sculpture take its first breath.

Cellotape: The one thing you find hard to work with or deal with?

Constantin: Spreadsheets! Administrative tasks and accounting drain my energy. I also find it challenging when clients expect immediate results without allowing time for experimentation. Collage is a slow, layered process; it needs space to evolve.

Cellotape: Any films you’d name as special to you?

Constantin: I have a soft spot for coming‑of‑age stories from the 1980s and ’90s films like Stand by Me and The Breakfast Club because they capture the awkwardness and wonder of growing up. Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice ignited my love for fantastical worlds, and I return to his work often for its gothic humour and design. More recently, I’ve been moved by Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me by Your Name for its sensual portrayal of time and place, and Paolo Sorrentino’s Parthenope for its poetic visual language. These films, though different in tone, all inform how I think about mood, narrative and aesthetics.

Cellotape: Any music or musicians you’d name as special to you?

Constantin: I’m drawn to artists whose music and personas reshaped pop culture. Cher and Tina Turner are icons of resilience and reinvention; their voices and style have influenced generations. Ozzy Osbourne brought theatricality to rock, while Michael Jackson pushed the boundaries of performance and visual storytelling. Beyond their music, I’m inspired by the narratives behind these artists their ability to overcome challenges and continually evolve. Their soundtracks often accompany me in the studio, reminding me that creativity is as much about courage as it is about craft.

Cellotape: Dream job?

Constantin: To direct a feature‑length live action film or immersive exhibition where viewers can walk through my collaged universes. I’d love to collaborate with a major museum, fashion house or even NASA on a project that combines fashion, art, science and storytelling on a monumental scale.

Cellotape: Anything you’d like to say about your work I’ve not asked?

Constantin: Beyond the aesthetics, my work is about storytelling and emotion. I want to create spaces whether digital or physical where people can escape, reflect and imagine alternatives. Collage allows me to recycle the visual noise of our world into something poetic, and that act of transformation is what drives me forward. I’m also excited to be making my first physical artwork as part of a heritage collaboration with a major luxury brand. The piece will be unveiled in January and will remain on permanent display in their flagship store, marking a new chapter in bringing my imagined worlds into three‑dimensional space.