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Alton Mason

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alton Mason
Mason in an advertisement for Rabanne in 2019
Born
Alton Devon Mason

(1997-11-21) November 21, 1997 (age 27)
Nebraska, U.S.
EducationAmerican Musical and Dramatic Academy
Occupations
  • Model
  • dancer
  • actor
Years active2015–present
Modeling information
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Hair colorBlack
Eye colorBrown

Alton Devon Mason (/ˈæltən/ AL-tən; born November 21, 1997)[1] is an American model, actor and dancer. He is one of the world's few male supermodels and the highest-paid one as of September 2023.[2][3] GQ Australia named him male model of the year in 2019,[4] Models.com gave him the same title for five consecutive years,[3] and Forbes listed him in its 30 Under 30 2021 for Art & Style.[5]

Early life

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Alton Mason was born in Nebraska in a family of Jamaican, Guinean and Haitian heritage.[3][6][7][8] His father, Alton Mason Sr., is a former professional basketball player, and his mother, Anita Mason, is a former model from Gilbert, Arizona.[9][10] He has three younger siblings – brother Alston and sisters Ania and Aniah.[6][10] Due to his father's career, the family moved regularly, living in 11 European countries (including Greece, Belgium, Bosnia and the Netherlands) in a timespan of 13 years,[9][11] until finally settling in Phoenix, Arizona.[11][12] When he was 17, he moved away from Arizona to study dancing and acting at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles, California.[9][12]

Career

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Through his godmother, choreographer Laurieann Gibson, he was able to obtain a position as backup dancer for Diddy at the BET Awards 2015, which eventually led to being signed by a modeling agency.[6] Mason was then discovered on Instagram[13] and cast for Kanye West's Yeezy Season 3 show at Madison Square Garden.[12][14] Two years later, he walked for the Gucci Fall 2017 show at the Milan Fashion Week.[15] Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld chose him for a 2018 show, becoming the first black male model to walk for the brand.[11][16] He also made appearances at the New York Fashion Week for Hugo Boss,[9] and in a short film modeling clothes designed by Pharrell Williams for Chanel.[17] He was part of the spring/summer campaign for Lacoste in 2019.[18] Other brands Mason has modeled for include Versace, Puma, Fenty X Puma, Michael Kors, Philipp Plein, Jeremy Scott, Tom Ford, Valentino, Fendi, Karl Lagerfeld, Louis Vuitton,[19] Off-White,[5] Rabanne, Dolce & Gabbana, Balenciaga, Zara and H&M, as well as in advertising for BMW. He has cited Naomi Campbell as his biggest modeling inspiration.[3][11]

In 2020, he filmed a music video in Lagos, Nigeria for his first single "Gimme Gimme", as part of the soundtrack of Amarachi Nwosu and Soof Light's short film Rise in Light, in which he also starred. The video was used to publicize a fundraising in support of Nigerian communities, collecting more than $10,000 for the Aga Khan Foundation.[12][20]

Mason portrayed Little Richard in Baz Luhrmann's 2022 biopic Elvis.[20]

References

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  1. ^ Mason, Alton (November 21, 2020). "birthday boy". Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2020 – via Instagram.
  2. ^ Hine, Samuel (August 22, 2023). "How Alton Mason Became the World's Only Male Supermodel". GQ. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Megía, Carlos (September 22, 2023). "Alton Mason: The best-paid man in the only industry where women make more". El País. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  4. ^ "Alton Mason Is 2019's GQ Australia Model Of The Year". GQ Australia. November 28, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Alton Mason". Forbes. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c McGillicuddy, Louisa (March 24, 2019). "At 22, model Alton Mason has already walked for Chanel, Versace and Louis Vuitton". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  7. ^ Lalanne, Olivier (January 21, 2021). "In conversation with Alton Mason, the model who has walked for Chanel and danced with P. Diddy". Vogue France. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  8. ^ Vincent, Anthony (December 9, 2021). "Alton Mason: « Where are the hairstylists, make-up artists and art directors of color? »". Antidote. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d Petrarca, Emilia (July 18, 2017). "How Alton Mason Went from Dancing with P. Diddy to Modeling for Gucci". W. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Alston Mason". Missouri State Bears. Missouri State University. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d Hennemuth, Britt (March 30, 2023). "Alton Mason Walks the Walk". Vanity Fair. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d Hess, Liam (May 14, 2020). "Alton Mason's Debut Short Film Is an Ode to the Creative Spirit of Lagos". Vogue. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  13. ^ Marain, Alexandre (January 24, 2019). "Get to know Alton Mason, the model of the moment". Vogue France. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  14. ^ Rami, Trupti (August 31, 2018). "PAPER People: Alton Mason". PAPER. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  15. ^ Cadogan, Dominic (April 24, 2018). "Vote for Alton Mason on the #Dazed100". Dazed. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  16. ^ Barr, Sabrina (December 7, 2018). "Alton Mason makes history as first Black male model to walk in Chanel show". The Independent. Archived from the original on December 7, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  17. ^ Cadogan, Dominic (March 25, 2019). "Pharrell's collaboration with Chanel is almost here". Dazed. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  18. ^ Higgins, Keenan (April 20, 2019). "A$AP Nast Helps Unveil Lacoste's New #CROCODILEINSIDE Campaign". The Source. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  19. ^ Eckardt, Stephanie (March 14, 2019). "Alton Mason on Becoming the First Black Male Model to Walk Chanel". W. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  20. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (January 26, 2021). "Newcomer Alton Mason To Play Little Richard In Baz Luhrmann's 'Elvis'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
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