Alton Mason: The best-paid man in the only industry where women make more

It was the moment Alton Mason knew his life was going to change: Karl Lagerfeld shook his hand and confirmed that Mason would be one of the models in the 2018 Métier d’Art collection. The news catapulted to stardom the semi-unknown Nebraskan of Guinean and Jamaican descent. It was also a historic moment in Chanel’s century-long history: Mason would be the first Black male model to walk for the house. Lagerfeld would die a few months later, but his blessing on the model would continue. At 25 years old, Alton Mason has achieved what no other man has done in decades: reaching top-model status.

The fashion industry is the only professional context where the gender salary gap works backwards: women earn up to 75% more than men, according to a 2016 BBC study. Mason has become the only man with real possibilities of reverting those differences. With a net worth of some $5 million, according to data from Stark Times, the young man’s earnings are reaching those of the British model David Gandy, who a decade ago managed to join the list of the best-paid models alongside Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne. Current runway stars like Gigi and Bella Hadid make around $20 million a year, the margins are still significant. But Mason has set his sight on transcending the catwalk to other realms of the entertainment industry, like music, film and design, which could put him at the level of global stars like Kendall Jenner or Kaia Gerber.

Named “Model of the Year” for five consecutive years by Models.com, Mason is the undisputed king of the runway. He has starred in more than 90 campaigns and walked in 150 shows. From high fashion brands like Versace, Gucci, Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana and Balenciaga to transatlantic fashion chains like Zara and H&M and even car companies like BMW, it seems there’s no brand in the world that doesn’t aspire to have Mason’s angular face alongside their products. A friend and mentee of Naomi Campbell, the young man, who has a million and a half Instagram followers, was inspired by the ebony goddess herself.

Mason met her during his first major modeling gig, right after turning 18, during the presentation of the Yeezy Season 3 collection at Madison Square Garden. The opportunity allowed him to quit his job at McDonald’s and stop attending 20 casting calls a day. From there, things only went up. “She is the blueprint. Being able to be mentored by her — to chill, eat and travel with her — it’s almost as if Michael Jordan asked my dad to play one-on-one with him,” he has said.

The reference to the Chicago Bulls myth isn’t an accident. Mason’s father was a passionate basketball player without enough talent to make a name for himself in the NBA, so the model spent much of his childhood and adolescence following his father’s career around Europe — eleven countries in thirteen years, to be exact. A fan of Prince, Michael and Janet Jackson, the young Alton performed choreographed dances during the breaks of his father’s games. He studied dance and acting, and he used his talents to stand out at modeling castings. It’s said, for example, that he won over Alessandro Michele, ex-creative director of Gucci, by imitating James Brown’s hip movements in a music-less room.

When asked about the key behind his meteoric success, he emphasizes the importance of developing an individual personality. Before triumphing in fashion, he was a dancer for artists like P. Diddy, and he has worked with Lady Gaga and Nick Minaj. He has the air of a seventies star, and he defines his style as heterogeneous, timeless and theatrical. “Since I have a theater background, I was always around costumes, so I’ve added that to my everyday style. Like, who am I going to be today?” He considers the late designer Virgil Abloh an “older brother” for believing in him while Mason was still one more of thousands.

Despite his privileged status in the industry, the Alton Masn project is still far from reaching its peak, thanks the multidisciplinary facets that have made him a rare bird. He doesn’t hide his ambition of working as a fashion designer and creative director — ”I want to be a house,” he told GQ — and he is about to debut his first collaboration with the belt brand B.B. Simon. Beyond the runways, he is working on his first album as a solo singer, and last year he made his acting debut in a Hollywood super production.

Mason made a cameo as the rock’n’roll pioneer Little Richard in Elvis, the film starred by Austin Butler and Tom Hanks. “One of my first college memories was watching the Oscars with my dorm mates in Hollywood; now here we are, on the same block; attending the Oscars with an Oscar nominated film,” he wrote on Instagram. And it may not be the last time. Mason will soon premiere Deram Scenario, a film starring Nicolas Cage that has won enthusiastic reviews in its premiere in Toronto.

Mason leads the generational change that aspires to end traditional beauty standards in fashion, making inclusion and diversity a reality and not just passing marketing schemes. At 25 years old, he has decided to lead by example and lead projects to help needy families in Nigeria. He hopes to use his philanthropy to redirect media attention to the African continent. In an interview with I-d, he recognized that “there was so much fear instilled in us by the school and media about the continent.” “I am destined to extend myself and create more life there, through fashion, music, film and technology,” he said.

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