Dressed in velvet blazers, trench coats and leather jackets, draped with stylish cashmere scarves and wearing accoutrements and other toggery from high-end designers including John Varvatos, Moncler, Givenchy, Jimmy Choo, Hugo Boss and Burberry; Paul Mason, a Canadian fashion model channeled Old St., Nick, as the stylish and dapper, Fashion Santa for the holiday season in partnership with Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Center to raise funds for a good cause.
But don’t think Mason slid in on a sleigh just to portray the most iconic symbol of Christmas because of the obvious, the 51-year-old has been an international model for almost 30 years (2016 will mark the ) and he was discovered while pursuing a degree in social work. “Many, many, many, many years ago, when I was going to Ryerson [University], in the social work program, my sociology class was mixed with fashion students and I was asked to do an [end of the year runway show] and I walked and someone in the audience knew someone and said I should become a model,” said Mason. “And within three months of that, I was on the runways in Tokyo.”
(Actually, Mason was discovered by a photographer in the audience who turned him on to Judy Welch, who had a namesake modeling agency, Judy Welch Modelling Agency, supposedly the first agency in Toronto, he said in an interview with Novella, last month. The agency’s roster of models included, who now know as Supermodel Naomi Campbell.)
Subsequently, Mason walked the catwalks including London, Barcelona, Milan, and Paris. However, in 1993, he moved to New York where he found catalog work, like Macy’s, but after 15 years of learning the ropes of the modeling industry, he packed his portfolio which included ad campaigns for Hugo Boss, DKNY, The Gap, cover spot on Australian Vogue, his major achievement in terms of ad campaigns, Dolce & Gabbana, lensed by famed fashion photographer, Steven Meisel and returned to Toronto.
Continuously working in the industry, and operating his namesake modeling agency, Paul Mason Management, in 2013 Mason emerged as a silver fox. His choice to grow the beard was a tribute to his mother, and he credits the facial hair for the rebirth of his career. (See 2013 images fromToronto-based agency, Spot 6 Management, and Montauk Sofa.) Besides booking fashion editorials, Mason found that his beard took on a new persona. “The beard became a success in fashion circles. I couldn’t help but to see similarities between my white beard and Santa,” wrote Mason.That’s when the idea of Fashion Santa came about. “It’s an initiative that I developed– a character that I thought was fitting for Christmas, but also had an edge and a fashion element to it. So I branded it as Fashion Santa,” said Mason in an interview with Pop & Press.
Last year, Mason who was featured in Toronto Life: Toronto’s Best Dressed 2014 partnered with Yorkdale Shopping Center, Canada’s premier shopping center, for the yuletide season to test the “Fashion Santa” concept, which received positive responses. But this year, the campaign was even better and Mason garnered international attention and more importantly, he used his striking good looks styled in a red Ferragamo velvet jacket to promote the (#YorkdaleFashionSanta) selfie marketing campaign, where the mall donated $1 to Sick Kids Foundation for every selfie taken.
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In similar fashion, Mason extended his image in partnership with El Palacio de Hierro (The Iron Palace) Mexico’s most prestigious department and created Sexy Santa for the 2015 holiday campaign “Mr. Claus Arrived at the Palacio de Hierro” dressed in tailored toggery. #QueridoMrClaus
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And if that’s not enough, Mason fronts the November/December 2015 issue of Canadian Hairdresser Magazine, a trade magazine for hair and beauty professionals, as #FashionSanta.
Canadian Hairdresser Magazine via Paul Mason Management Facebook
We reached out to Mr. Mason to find out about his plans to trademark Fashion Santa, no response as of yet.
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@paulmasonmgmt Who's Fashion Santa? #QueridoMrClaus#YorkdaleFashionSanta #MerryChristmas #fashionsanta Dressed in velvet blazers, trench coats and leather jackets, draped with stylish cashmere scarves and wearing accoutrements and other toggery from high-end designers including John Varvatos, Moncler, Givenchy, Jimmy Choo, Hugo Boss and Burberry; Paul Mason, a Canadian fashion model channeled Old St., Nick, as the stylish and dapper, …
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