PROTOTYPES
BTS interviews that delve into the convictions of designers and artists from around the world, sharing insights and production flows, documenting their journey—from their origin story to their current come up—highlighting the process as much as the creative.
Style
As the founder of Products Ltd, Terrazas leads a studio dedicated to creating objects, events, and installations that interrogate the processes of commodification in contemporary society. The brand's output critically engages with the contradictions inherent in modern consumption, often blurring the lines between art and commercial production.
Terrazas' work has been exhibited at Galerie Sultana and featured in numerous publications, including Re-Edition, CR Fashion Book, Cultured Magazine, Show Studio, 032c, and Vogue.
About
Alton Terrazas is a conceptual artist and creative director based in Paris. Her multidisciplinary practice operates at the intersection of visual art, industrial design, and fashion styling, with a focus on examining the tensions between infrastructural systems, perceived value, and the evolving conventions of fashion imagery in both still and moving forms.
Informed by her extensive experience as a global consultant for major brands and artists, Terrazas leverages unconventional strategies to redefine and elevate visual identities across diverse creative industries.
Art Direction
Product
Interview
Terrazas/Phnms
2/15/2025
Phnms: Alton, your work spans so many disciplines—visual art, industrial design, fashion styling. What initially drew you to such a multidisciplinary approach?
Alton Terrazas: I’ve always been fascinated by the way different creative fields overlap and inform one another. It’s like a dialogue—fashion speaks to industrial design, industrial design speaks to art, and so on. I don’t see them as separate categories but as parts of the same system. Each one allows me to examine the same questions from different perspectives, especially around value and how things are perceived versus how they function.
Phnms: Your work often explores tensions between infrastructural systems and perceived value. Could you elaborate on what that means in your practice?
Alton Terrazas: Sure. I’m interested in the hidden frameworks that shape how we experience the world—things like supply chains, branding strategies, and design conventions. These systems dictate how we assign value to objects or experiences, whether it’s a luxury handbag or a museum exhibition. My work tries to bring those frameworks to the surface, to expose the contradictions and make people question what they’re consuming and why.
Phnms: As the founder of Products Ltd, your studio seems to operate like a hybrid between an art practice and a brand. How do you balance those roles?
Alton Terrazas That’s the heart of the tension I’m exploring. Products Ltd is both a critical commentary on commodification and an active participant in it. By designing objects, events, and installations that could exist in commercial or artistic contexts, I’m asking: What happens when the lines blur? Can an artwork be both critique and commodity? I think it can, and that’s where the most interesting conversations happen.
Phnms: Your work has been exhibited in galleries and featured in major fashion publications like Vogue and 032c. How do you see your role shifting depending on the platform?
Alton Terrazas: It’s always about the audience. A gallery space allows for a slower, more reflective engagement with my work, while fashion publications operate in a much faster, more image-driven ecosystem. But the core ideas remain the same. It’s about adapting the message to the medium. Sometimes that means presenting an installation in a gallery; other times, it’s creating an editorial spread that plays with the conventions of fashion imagery.
Phnms: Speaking of fashion imagery, your work often redefines those conventions in both still and moving forms. What inspires you to challenge those norms?
Alton Terrazas: Fashion imagery is one of the most pervasive and influential visual languages we have. It’s aspirational, but it’s also manipulative. I’m interested in deconstructing that language, questioning its tropes, and reimagining what it could look like. How do we tell new stories? How do we create images that aren’t just about selling but about provoking thought?
Phnms: You’ve also worked as a consultant for major brands and artists. How has that experience informed your own creative practice?
Alton Terrazas: It’s been invaluable. Consulting exposes you to the inner workings of different industries—how decisions are made, how value is created. That insight has helped me develop unconventional strategies in my own work. I think of it as reverse engineering: understanding the system to disrupt it.
Phnms: Finally, what’s next for you and Products Ltd?
Alton Terrazas: I’m currently working on a project that explores the lifecycle of objects—how they’re produced, consumed, and discarded. It’s an installation that combines video, sculpture, and performance, and it really dives into the mechanics of consumption. At the same time, I’m collaborating on a collection that plays with utility and ornamentation, questioning what makes something “useful.” So, lots of exciting things in the pipeline!
Phnms: Sounds incredible. Thank you, Alton, for sharing your insights.
Alton Terrazas: Thank you! It’s been a pleasure.
