19 November 2025
Interview: Legendary Photographer Michel Haddi – The Man Who Sees by Julian Cleophas for Cult Report.
Interview: Legendary Photographer Michel Haddi – The Man Who Sees
By Julian Cleophas
Cult Report
Michel Haddi photographed by Sarah Coldron
Collaboration with Supermodels
“Many people ask me about my collaboration with Kate Moss. Now, the point is, I worked with many, many people — whether it’s Linda Evangelista, Yasmin Le Bon, Stephanie Seymour — and of course Kate. She’s incredible, absolutely fabulous, and I did work a few times with her.”
“But people forget I also worked with Jennifer Lopez and Cameron Diaz long before they were household names. Back in the day when Godfrey Deeny was editor-in-chief of Vogue Hommes, I suggested we shoot these young actors in Los Angeles. They became megastars later — and that, for me, is fascinating.”
Michel Haddi Tupac Contact Sheets
Capturing the Subject
“When I take a photograph, I’m interested in the present — right now. I try to find something magical about that person. ‘Less is better.’ I look for an angle that captures the innocence of the moment we’re living in. Whether the image becomes iconic or forgotten later, I’m only interested in that fragment of time.”
Black & White vs. Color
“People think I’m only good at black-and-white photography, the algorithm says so! But I’ve been shooting color since 1978, in Kodachrome. It’s not about choosing one or the other. It’s like food ,today you eat steak frites, tomorrow maybe soup. What matters is the emotion.”
The State of Modern Fashion
“Fashion in the ’50s to the ’70s was about luxury, beauty, and true materials. By the ’70s when I started attending shows in Paris and Milan, fashion had attitude, models, a look. Today, fast fashion, Shein, $1 t-shirts has destroyed that magic.
People won’t spend like before; they’ll buy accessories but not couture. Fashion has lost its luster for the masses, and it’s sad because it’s killing the golden goose.”
KATE MOSS Michel Haddi
The Photographer’s Attitude
“When I photograph someone, that person is the star not me. Empathy is everything. Like a good surgeon, you must make them feel like number one. If you photograph a girl, you don’t talk about another girl. Whoever is in front of your lens is the most important person in the world.”
Relationships & Reflections
“I had close relationships with many of my subjects they were all fabulous, maybe one or two nightmares, but I erase them from my mind. I’ve always said, I’m not bringing the children of reality, I’m bringing a kind of veneer of life. My goal is to make people feel good, just as a chef pleases his guests.”
Drive & Legacy
“I’ve trained in martial arts for 50 years now I box every day. My opponent is me versus me. I’ll never give up. I’ll keep shooting until my last breath whether people like me or not, I don’t care. That’s my competition: myself.”
Where to Find His Work
“You can collect all my books, posters, and more through my publishing house. Everything is online at mhspublishing.com
I’m always working on new projects — the story never ends.”
Linda Evangelista, London, 1992, photographed by Michel Haddi for British Vogue. Courtesy of Michel Haddi. All rights reserved
Michel Haddi – In Brief
Michel Haddi is one of fashion’s most iconic photographers, celebrated for capturing legends like Tupac Shakur, Kate Moss, David Bowie, Clint Eastwood, and Angelina Jolie. Born in Paris in 1956, his Franco-Algerian roots and early life in an orphanage shaped a raw, emotional visual style that blends cinematic intimacy with cultural realism.
Over four decades, Haddi’s work has appeared in Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, Rolling Stone, and Interview Magazine, alongside campaigns for Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, and Guerlain. Through his publishing imprint MHS Publishing, he continues to explore themes of beauty, power, and human connection — always with what he calls “the eyes of a child.” Watch Michel Haddi’s short film HOLLYWOOD inspired by the upcoming issue of The Legend – Hollywood, released this September during Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2026 on YouTube here
See the article online here
