LONDON — Sitting down with audiences last month at the V&A East Museum, acclaimed filmmaker, director, and photographer Gabriel Moses offered a rare, intimate look into the foundational experiences, relationships, and creative forces that have built his distinct visual vocabulary. The conversation, part of the museum’s ongoing A Life in the Work of Others series, invited the celebrated artist to dissect the people, places, and cultural touchstones that have shaped a career already marked by striking collaborations with global brands and elite athletes.
Throughout the evening, Moses reflected on a trajectory that carried him from his childhood in south London to high-profile sets alongside fashion visionaries and football stars. Tracing his journey backward, the director mapped out five primary pillars of inspiration that continue to guide his work behind the camera: the creative women of his upbringing, the bustling sports culture of south London, the early leap into directing DIY football documentaries, his formative mentorship under the late Virgil Abloh, and an enduring fascination with everyday people as the ultimate source of cultural authenticity.
The Women Who Shaped a Visual Language
For Moses, the genesis of his artistic awareness lies squarely within his family home, shaped profoundly by the women who surrounded him. Long before he picked up a professional camera or stepped onto a commercial film set, his aesthetic sensibilities were being quietly calibrated by his sister and his mother.
Recalling his early days, Moses described how his sister’s pursuits as a fashion student transformed her bedroom—where the household television happened to reside—into a makeshift mood board. Her walls were plastered with torn-out pages from publications like Vogue and Dazed, exposing him to high-fashion references and editorial layouts at an impressionable age.
Simultaneously, his mother instilled in him a fearless approach to visual presentation and color. Alongside an appreciation for art, fashion, and photography, her primary hobby was flower arranging, an endeavor that required a sophisticated eye for palette and contrast. Moses noted that his mother’s willingness to make bold, unconventional color choices remains a guiding principle whenever he sits down to compose an image today.
Documentation was equally central to family life. Moses grew up surrounded by physical archives—photobooks documenting his grandparents and mother growing up in Nigeria, alongside family albums chronicling his siblings’ childhoods. Surrounded by tangible histories, he naturally fell in love with the preservation and framing of personal narratives.
This domestic foundation fostered a deep-rooted sense of self-belief, heavily anchored by his mother’s perspective. Arriving in the United Kingdom at the age of 18, she bore witness to London’s diverse cultural fabric and the many ways individuals could carve out paths to success. Moses shared that his mother’s supportive philosophy was absolute: had he declared an ambition to become a postal worker, her response would have been to encourage him to become the finest postman in the world.
That unwavering trust became critical when Moses made the pivotal decision to drop out of university following his first commercial film for Nike. Entering a quiet five-month stretch where professional prospects were sparse, his mother recognized his drive and allowed him the space to experiment and refine his craft without panic. Drawing from that experience, Moses offered advice to emerging creatives navigating unconventional paths, emphasizing the importance of open communication and absolute transparency, even if it requires building formal presentations to help family members understand a non-traditional career trajectory.
South London Roots and Athletic Ambitions
Growing up in south London provided Moses with a unique social landscape, one teeming with future stars in sport and entertainment. In a neighborhood where iconic figures were part of the local scenery, everyday encounters offered tangible proof of what was achievable. Spotting players like Rio Ferdinand at the local petrol station demonstrated that local youth could reach the pinnacle of professional sports at Manchester United.
Closer to home, local figures like Andy Ansah served as neighborhood legends. Transitioning from professional footballing to choreographing commercials, Ansah was a recognizable celebrity in the area who bridged the worlds of sport and advertising, having worked alongside global icons like Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. By casting local youths as extras in his ads, Ansah provided Moses and his peers with an early, direct glimpse into commercial production, proving that a passion for football could be translated into entirely new creative mediums.
Like many of his peers, Moses’s initial aspirations pointed squarely toward the football pitch rather than the director’s chair. However, during his first year at university, his mother shared news of an illness, prompting a moment of deep personal reflection. Driven by a desire to make her proud, he audited his own skills to determine where his true potential lay, operating under the pragmatic philosophy that he had no inherent right to be a photographer or filmmaker, but should simply test his capabilities and see what resonated.
The DIY Ethos and Directing at 18
Channeling memories of watching energetic Nike Joga Bonito commercials during his youth, Moses decided to combine his love for football with digital storytelling. He reached out to Fikayo Tomori—then playing for Chelsea and now at AC Milan—with a proposal to document his personal journey and background. Over the course of six hours, working within his own environment alongside friends, Moses produced his very first short video and uploaded it to YouTube.
Despite describing the resulting film as terrible in hindsight, the simple act of executing an idea and publishing it provided an unmatched psychological milestone. Following that initial project, he turned his attention to Liverpool defender Joe Gomez, another south Londoner who recognized the young creator’s ambition and helped fund one of his early films when Moses was just 18 years old.
The momentum quickly caught the attention of Nike, who reached out shortly after his second video to commission a series of commercials promoting their new Tiempo football boots. Suddenly thrust into the role of a commercial director at age 18, Moses relied on a mix of professional composure and intuitive self-assurance. Because he was essentially directing his demographic, he understood precisely what his peers wanted to see on screen and pushed his concepts forward with unwavering confidence.
Moses credits his background in sports for shaping his professional work ethic. Operating under the reality that the sports world offers no shortcuts—where failure to perform means elimination from the Premier League—he approached the creative industries with the same black-and-white mentality: consistently produce strong work, and opportunities will inevitably follow.
Mentorship Under Virgil Abloh and the Power of Humility
As his career gained traction, Moses crossed paths with photographer Fabien Montique, who introduced him to Virgil Abloh at the Off-White studio. Though not deeply versed in high fashion at the time, Moses was well aware of Abloh’s groundbreaking sneaker collaborations with Nike.
Rather than facing rigid hierarchy, the young creator was given the space simply to exist, learn, and document. As a 19-year-old with a camera, he captured backstage fitting photographs and directed show films featuring models like Bella Hadid and high-end collections. Crucially, his introduction to the fashion world bypassed traditional academic institutions like Central Saint Martins, instead occurring organically alongside another Black artist carving out a global space.
Moses expressed profound admiration for Abloh’s characteristic openness and humility. Remembering how the influential designer would consistently reply to messages on the same day—often accompanied by encouraging words and a rocket emoji—Moses noted how those small gestures provided an immense psychological boost. Returning to London with validation from one of the industry’s most successful figures reinforced a powerful lesson: that remarkable achievements are accessible to anyone willing to put in the work.
Everyday People as the Ultimate Muse
Today, Moses remains fundamentally inspired by the unfiltered creativity of everyday people. Whether observing internet users producing innovative content from mobile phones or watching youth subcultures experiment organically, he views grassroots creativity as a vital cultural engine. This perspective remains the central theme of his commercial work, where he frequently casts everyday individuals in major brand campaigns to ensure authentic representation.
Reflecting on his working relationships with agents and brands, Moses admitted to frequently pushing back against conventional norms early in his career, often trading larger budgets for creative control. By demystifying the production process, his ultimate goal is to foster an environment where a new generation of creators can enter the industry naturally, driven entirely by personal vision rather than corporate formulas.
Offering a final piece of guidance to young creatives attending the talk, Moses underscored the importance of authenticity and rigorous preparation. By staying true to personal influences, artists can streamline their research, identify meaningful reference points, and train their minds to recognize their own preferences. Highlighting a personal habit from his earlier years of writing down a conceptual idea every day, regardless of whether an immediate application existed, he reminded the audience that an artist’s ideas remain their most valuable currency.