You know that one reel. You’re doomscrolling before bed, and suddenly there’s a clip of someone walking out of a Paris show — perfect light, a slow-motion turn, a soundtrack that lands — and you watch it twice. You stop scrolling. You wonder who shot it.
For a while, that someone has been Mohamed Zalloufi, professionally known as Mohtohsoh. Paris-born, Toronto-based, and working between Toronto, Paris, and New York, he’s the videographer behind some of the most cinematic fashion week coverage right now — footage featuring Zendaya and her longtime stylist Law Roach, Porsha Williams, and a lot of other fashionable faces.
Why care about one videographer if you’re not in the industry? Because the way fashion reaches you is changing. The feed is now the runway, and the people who frame the moment decide what you remember. I spent six years buying for a department store, and I can tell you: the image does half the selling.
It started with Michael Jackson videos
Mohtohsoh grew up between France and Morocco, and he says that multicultural background shaped how he sees. But the actual spark was pop music. “My love for visuals started when I was around 10 years old,” he recalls. After Michael Jackson’s passing in 2009, he went deep on the King of Pop’s music videos, then Lady Gaga, then Beyoncé — the visual album era, when artists built whole worlds around their music.
He got serious in 2017, making French-language YouTube videos about music and pop culture. Two years later, in 2019, he bought his first professional camera — a Sony A7 III — and started offering videography work. No industry connections, no apprenticeship. Just concept videos with friends in Paris, taking cues from creators like Cole Walliser and his slow-motion Glambot footage.
The turning point: in 2022, he decided to attend New York Fashion Week and commit to fashion video full-time. A leap of faith, as it turned out. It changed his career.
From a speculative ad to a full résumé
One of his earliest wins came in 2019: a speculative advertisement he made for French department store Galeries Lafayette. The retailer took notice — and so did Chanel France. That same year he worked on internal video projects for Guerlain and Christian Louboutin through Creative Lab Agency.
From there the work kept climbing. By 2023 he was covering entertainment — Issa Rae’s Viarae wine press tour, French superstar Aya Nakamura’s London concert. In 2024 he shot Bella Thorne for Marie Claire and Nicole Ari Parker for Town & Country in collaboration with Michael Kors.
But the moment he keeps coming back to: February 2024, when Beyoncé showed up at LUAR’s Fall/Winter 2024 runway show during New York Fashion Week. For a kid who’d grown up studying her music videos, it wasn’t another assignment. “Beyoncé has been such a huge part of my visual inspiration since childhood,” he says.
In 2026 he photographed his first magazine cover — R&B artist Odeal for French publication Shimmya Mag. Music and editorial storytelling, finally in the same frame.
Why this matters to you
Here’s the part I keep thinking about. People who see him photographing celebrities outside shows assume he’s a street-style photographer or a paparazzo. He respects both, but his ambition is bigger — editorial campaigns, direct work with artists, more intimate visual stories. “Sometimes you have to find your own way into a room before you can show people what else you’re capable of,” he says.
He also talks about the money problem in creative work. Great content costs real money — expensive gear, preparation, countless hours. Yet independent creators are sometimes expected to work for free simply because a celebrity is at the event. Learning to argue for the value of your own work, he says, became part of the job.
That one resonated. I used to buy the trend first and ask questions later, and I learned the hard way that a lot of what’s “in” won’t survive in your closet. The same applies to a creative career: showing up, meeting people, and making good work consistently is how doors open. Waiting for an invitation is how you stay outside.
The detail most people miss
There’s one part of his philosophy I’d frame and hang on a studio wall. He’s deliberately thoughtful about representing Black women and women of color — skin tones, lighting, color grading, making sure the person in the frame feels authentically represented. “I want people to recognize themselves in my work and feel good about how they’re portrayed,” he shares.
It’s a small thing to most viewers. It’s everything to the subject. And honestly, it’s the same standard I try to hold my own content to: the image isn’t just an outfit, it’s the person wearing it.
His advice if you want to break in
Mohtohsoh’s advice is refreshingly direct. “Learn the Fashion Week calendar, book a flight, and go.” He admits the first season is intimidating when you have no connections and no runway access. But showing up and producing quality work eventually opens doors.
Can’t travel internationally? Work with local designers, stylists, and makeup artists on collaborative projects. Don’t wait for someone to hand you an opportunity — create one. And know your worth: occasional free collaborations build a portfolio, but working for free shouldn’t become a permanent business model.
He’s also planning to step in front of the camera. Over the next five years he wants a career that mixes interviewing, photography, and cultural commentary — naming Claire Sulmers, Zane Lowe, and Nardwuar as the models for it. And there’s a fun twist: he holds a master’s degree in Finance and Accounting, with marketing experience on top. Business brain plus creative eye. I’d hire that combo.
FAQ
Who is Mohtohsoh? Mohtohsoh is Mohamed Zalloufi, a Paris-born photographer and videographer now based in Toronto. He’s known for cinematic fashion week coverage featuring names like Zendaya, Law Roach, and Porsha Williams, and his work has included projects for Galeries Lafayette, Guerlain, Christian Louboutin, and Marie Claire.
How did he get into fashion video? He started with music and pop culture — French-language YouTube in 2017, his first professional camera (a Sony A7 III) in 2019, and concept videos with friends in Paris. He made the full-time jump in 2022 by attending New York Fashion Week.
What does he say about getting paid as a creator? He stresses that great content is expensive — gear, preparation, hours of work — so working free shouldn’t be a permanent model. Build your portfolio with collaborations, but know your value and argue for it.
Follow his work: Mohtohsoh on Instagram
The 10-Piece Edit — my monthly capsule list. And if you’re thinking about building a second act, read how I stopped buying trends.
A note from Maya: I’ve met enough people who call their side project a “hobby” to know the difference is usually one decision. Mohtohsoh booked a flight to a fashion week he had no business attending. That’s the whole story, really.