Basketball taught him the discipline of rhythm—each dribble, each shot, a heartbeat that now underpins every frame he composes. When he traded the arc of the ball for the lens of a camera, he discovered a new kind of poetry: one written in light, texture, and the quiet rituals that live beneath the grand gestures of sport.

From intimate street-style sessions to the full creative freedom of his recent adidas Y-3 campaigns, Aymane’s love of craft and work ethic guide each project. His visual language blends personal memory and cultural nuance—honest, raw, and at times even transcendent. 

This is the story of a filmmaker who—from cold plunges to roaring crowds—reminds us that passion may just be the greatest sport of all.

A Natural Path

“I was born and raised in Lyon, and for as long as I can remember, basketball was everything. I nearly made it to the pros, attending multiple sports academies. That athletic background shaped how I work now—it gave me discipline, a structure to follow, and a work ethic I hold onto every day. I’m strict with myself, always trying to give 100%, and that mindset definitely comes from sport.

When I was 17, my mother returned to our homeland, the Comoros—a small island nation off the coast of Madagascar. I lived alone in Lyon for a year before moving to Paris after my 18th birthday. I was still in school and I stopped playing basketball, so I started to feel like something was missing. I needed more than just school in the morning and training in the evening. After finishing school, I started modeling and picking up small jobs—none of which I really connected with. And then, suddenly, photography came into my life.

It started with photographing friends in the streets of Paris. About a year later, I began shooting videos too. It all came very naturally—I didn’t study it, I just felt it. I was driven by passion.”

More Than a Game

“While sports didn’t directly inspire the visuals I create, the memories surrounding sports definitely did. The imagery I absorbed as a kid—TV commercials I saw 20 times, sports montages, posters—stuck with me. Some of the references I use today come from ads I watched when I was ten. That memory bank is a constant source of inspiration.

Sport taught me how to work with focus and discipline: no shortcuts, no skipping steps. There’s a difference between people who’ve played sports and those who haven’t. I’m not saying one is better, but the approach is different. Basketball wasn’t just about the game—it was about teammates, friendships, travel, and exposure to different places and people. That broader experience helped shape me, not just as an artist, but as a person.

Moving to Paris showed me the cultural magnitude of sport. Last summer, during the Olympics, you couldn’t walk through the city without feeling its presence. Even when PSG won the Champions League—though I don’t follow football closely—I was out celebrating. Because it’s not just about the game, it’s about shared emotion, collective energy. That’s what I aim to translate in my work.

I’ve also been lucky to be surrounded by people who’ve shown me beauty—friends, collaborators, creatives. And like everyone else, I’m online, I watch films, I go to museums. But inspiration can be anywhere: the way someone walks, how they carry a bag—it could become the seed for a scene or a shot. Art keeps my eyes open. So does contemporary dance. It’s all about learning to see, and to let everyday moments resonate in unexpected ways.”

A Sudden Shift

“Everything happened quickly. I picked up a camera in February 2021 and landed my first job a month later. It was mostly with small brands at first, but I was learning every day—thanks to the people around me and the opportunities Paris gave me.

The turning point came in July 2022, when I shot a Jean-Paul Gaultier project featuring Karim Benzema. A friend of mine worked there as a junior project manager and pitched me for the project. I was 19. It felt surreal: a French icon, a football legend—and me behind the lens. That campaign changed everything. People started noticing my work. From there, the calls started coming in.

That moment was key. I realized that with dedication and consistency, the results do come. But when you’re working so intensely, hitting personal goals doesn’t always register—you’re already focused on the next step. Looking back, I wish I had celebrated those early milestones more. But that same mindset—always pushing forward—is what opened up the next chapters.

A year before, I began working with Namesake, shooting their first campaign in Paris. Our collaboration grew quickly. I modeled for their Fashion Week show, shot collections, and stayed close to the brand’s evolution. It became a true creative partnership built on trust and vision. Whenever they’re in Paris, we reconnect. We push ideas forward. It’s an ongoing dialogue that keeps evolving.”

Beneath the Surface: Sport, Style & Storytelling

“My partnership with adidas pushed my creativity to new places. I had already signed with them as a talent a year earlier, so we developed a relationship that a year later introduced me to the Y-3 team. But this time, they came to me with a wide-open brief: “Interpret this shoe however you want. Just keep it connected to sport.”

It was exciting—and overwhelming. No structure. No creative guardrails. Just full freedom. With only two weeks to develop the concept, shoot, and edit, I knew I had to avoid the obvious. I wanted to look beyond football, boxing, basketball. I focused on the subtleties around sport: cold plunges, training rituals, dancer warm-ups, brotherhood, struggle, breath.

Each short film became an extension of my own mindset: the grind, the support system, the inner fire. Visually, I wanted cohesion—an invisible thread tying all the vignettes together. That’s what Y-3 is about: textures, minimalism, detail. Like their garments, my visual storytelling aimed to capture what lies beneath the surface. 

The result is a tribute to the nuances of athletic life: the dyed hair, the inhale before the plunge, the quiet intensity in the locker room. By merging those moments with the shoe’s own aesthetic language, I shaped a campaign that felt deeply personal—yet unmistakably Y-3.”

No Regrets

“Right now, I’m focused on narrative and fiction—I just completed my first short film, which premiered last Thursday after a full year of work. 

My long-term vision? To earn recognition and build a lasting legacy—not only in fashion or film, but in culture at large. I want to expand internationally, maybe move to the U.S., and keep stretching what I can do creatively.

Above all, I refuse to live with regrets. I can’t imagine being older and looking back, wishing I’d done more at 23. That mindset—of pushing forward and taking risks—is pure sport. It lives in me, always. 

If I had to name one discipline that inspires me most right now, it would be Formula One. Its mix of precision, drama, and innovation perfectly mirrors the creative path I’m on—and the speed at which I’m determined to travel it.”