Not since Tyson Beckford arrived on the scene in the early 1990’s has a man of colour started making so many waves as a male supermodel.
Twenty-two year old Alton Mason is without doubt taking the modelling world by storm, one runway at a time. With his show-stopping good looks and Michael Jackson-esque style, he credits his grace to his dance training and lifelong practice of martial arts. It’s not hard to understand how Mason’s popularity within the fashion industry has skyrocketed. Impressively named model.com’s Male Model of the Year and GQ Australia’s Man of the Year in 2019, Alton Mason has played an important role in breaking down barriers on diversity and reshaping the idea of what it means to be a male supermodel in 2020..
In L.A at the time, dancing for Laurie-Ann Gibson, Mason’s modelling career began with a comment from an agent on an Instagram post in 2015. “I thought it was a joke,” he said in an interview with W magazine. “But then my agent contacted me through email and I saw all the confidentiality stuff and I knew it was real.” In 2016, Mason shot straight up to the big leagues, modelling for none other than Kanye West’s Yeezy Season 3 collection in New York Fall Fashion Week.
However, the turning point in Mason’s career wasn’t until he was selected to present Gucci’s 2018 cruise collection. A gig which got him noticed by Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele. Michele invited him to model for the Italian fashion house’s 2017 Pre-Fall campaign.
“I’ve made so many sacrifices to be where I am in my career,” Mason told Vogue, “The highlight thus far would have to be the Gucci campaign. My little brother and sisters are proud to know that I had a hand in a masterpiece that projected acknowledgment, inclusion, and diversity.”
Since then, Alton Mason’s face can be recognised on runways and campaigns alike. This talented dancer-turned-model has worked with a number of luxury brands including Tom Ford, Versace, Paco Rabanne, Louis Vuitton and more. Most notably, Mason recently became the first black man to walk for Karl Lagerfeld in a Chanel show in 2018. A pioneer of diversity and inclusion, Mason chooses to use his spotlight to represent people of colour and help change the narrative of the fashion industry.
Now represented by State Management in New York and IMG worldwide, Alton Mason has continued on an upward spiral in the fashion industry and has no plans of slowing down. Mason himself told GQ, “…there’s still so much to do and I want you guys to stay tuned. This is just the beginning.”
Subscribe to FIB’s Weekly Alchemy Report for your weekly dose of music, fashion and pop culture news!
