Hunky Fashion Santa Takes World By Storm, Canadian Paul Mason Reinvents St. Nicholas As Dapper And Fit Hipster [Video]
Santa Claus’ traditional belly full of jelly has received a makeover this year at Toronto’s Yorkdale Mall. The trendy shopping center decided to forgo the classic image of St. Nick and hire male model Paul Mason, also known as Fashion Santa, to take on the role. His presence is not only turning heads, but also raising money for the SickKids Foundation.
Fashion Santa has been seen throughout Toronto’s Yorkdale Mall, wearing the hottest winter fashions and turning heads of passersby. Paul Mason has taken advantage of his snow white hair and matching beard, using them to send his fashion career on the sleigh ride of a lifetime. The male model was chosen for his progressive Santa Claus look, as well as a way to draw attention to Yorkdale Mall’s charity of choice, the SickKids Foundation. Everyone that takes a selfie with Fashion Santa, and posts it on social media using the hashtag #YorkdaleFashionSanta, the mall will donate $1 to the SickKids Foundation, according to Metro.
“#YorkdaleFashionSanta makes our days merry & bright ? Come visit him this holiday season, for every selfie posted using #YorkdaleFashionSanta we will donate $1 to SickKids Foundation.”
Although Fashion Santa is turning heads and taking selfies, some are wondering if he might too sexy for his own good.
I wouldn’t want #FashionSanta determining whether or not my girl was naughty or nice. She might leave me ? pic.twitter.com/ZcQqN7oT9q
— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) December 8, 2015
Others, however, are happy with Fashion Santa and don’t mind him sticking around for a while.
#FashionSanta is turning heads at Yorkdale https://t.co/JGUllBbVMk pic.twitter.com/n0LOOHuXxK
— Tiffany White (@tiffanywhite746) December 5, 2015
Yorkdale’s Fashion Santa can be found meandering through the mall, waiting for people to approach him for selfies. Although he doesn’t have to wait long, he is happy his days are busy. The more selfies that are taken and posted online with #YorkdaleFashionSanta, the more money is raised for the SickKids Foundation, according to the Daily Mail. Besides, says Paul, he is used to people taking selfies with him during the Christmas season.
“It’s a modern spin on the typical Santa photos. I do so many selfies because of my profile and beard, so it seemed like a natural fit.”
During his walks through the mall, Fashion Santa does not wear the traditional Santa suit. Instead, his wardrobe is comprised of fashionable pieces from featured designers, all with a hipster-ish take on what a muscular and fit Santa Claus might wear on his time off. He can often be seen wearing velvet blazers, stylish scarves, and sometimes even leather, all of which fit snugly upon his muscular frame. Some photos have even shown him dragging a large Christmas tree behind him, further showing off his physically fit body.
Fashion Santa is not new to modeling, he has been modeling for over thirty years.
“I’ve been modellng for 30 years.When I was attending Ryerson [University], I was in a sociology class that was mixed with fashion students and one of them asked me to walk in a fashion show for one of their assignments.During that show, someone from the industry spotted me and liked what they saw. One month later, I was on the runway and I’ve never looked back.”
Although Fashion Santa has received rave reviews by most visitors to Yorkdale Mall, some have complained that his presence is ruining the magic behind Santa’s existence.
“Well, congratulations hipsters, you’ve done it again! You ruined a classic with ‘Fashion Santa.’ Is nothing sacred to you? #HoHoNO”
What are your thoughts on Fashion Santa? Is Yorkdale Mall’s use of him for a good cause the right thing to do, or would a classic Santa be just as good?
[Image via Honored_Member/Shutterstock]
