Alton Devon Mason, born on November 21, 1997, is an American model who has made significant strides in the fashion industry. He became the first black male model to walk for Chanel in 2018. GQ Australia named him male model of the year in 20191, and Forbes listed him in its 30 Under 30 2021 for Art & Style. He is considered one of the few male supermodels worldwide.
Mason was born in Nebraska, the eldest of four children1. His father, Alton Mason Sr., is a former professional basketball player and his mother is a former model. Due to his father’s career, the family moved regularly, living in several European countries, until finally settling in Arizona. 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. Through choreographer Laurieann Gibson, he was able to obtain a position as a backup dancer for Diddy at the BET Awards 2015, which eventually led to him being signed by a modeling agency. Mason was then discovered on Instagram and cast for Kanye West’s Yeezy Season 3 show at Madison Square Garden. Two years later, he walked for the Gucci Fall 2017 show at the Milan Fashion Week. He also made appearances at the New York Fashion Week for Hugo Boss, and in a short film modeling clothes designed by Pharrell Williams for Chanel.
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. Mason portrayed Little Richard in Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 biopic Elvis.
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