When Alton Mason and I connect over the phone—he’s in L.A., I’m in Brooklyn—he’s gearing up for something I didn’t quite expect.
“I’m getting ready for this anime fest that me and my friends are doing,” he tells me. The event in question is One Piece Fest, a celebration of the beloved series organized, in part, by Nasir Dean, the son of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys and one of Mason’s best friends. Mason tells me that he’s ironing his red shirt—One Piece’s protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, wears one—and setting out soon. “Side quests,” he says. “Side quests.”
The conversation moves to video games. He’s all in for the futuristic, fast-paced fighting game Tekken. I mention that the stuff he’s worn on the runway for designer Rick Owens would look entirely appropriate in that game’s world. “When I wear Rick Owens, I feel like a Tekken character,” he says. “So it’s crazy you say that.”
Mason is one of the biggest male models on the planet, arguably the only true male supermodel. His physique and face seem almost otherworldly, ultra-human. He’s been on billboards, the Met Gala red carpet, even the big screen as Little Richard in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. His new campaign for GapStudio—the American brand’s high-end, event-ready imprint led by designer Zac Posen—just debuted today.
He’s also a twenty-eight-year-old guy who likes fighting games and out-there pirate anime (he cites Castlevania, Berserk, and Michiko & Hatchin as other personal favorites). It’s refreshing to realize that, despite his looks and his outsized footprint in the fashion world, he’s human like the rest of us.
And over the course of our chat about his role in the GapStudio campaign, he shows the depth of that humanity time and again. Though he’s relatively young, Mason seems centered, mindful—exactly the kind of person you’d want to hang out with, whether it’s at an anime fest or backstage at a fashion show. Read on for a few highlights from our talk.
This interview has been condensed and edited.
On Gratitude
Sometimes when you just show up with no expectations, it’s so rewarding because you learn. Like, “Hey, you were the first to do that.” [Mason was also the first Black male model to walk in a Chanel show.] It really inspires you to not only to open doors for others, but it allows you to give gratitude for the ones that have opened doors for you.
My dad’s from Shreveport, Louisiana. My mom’s from Lincoln, Nebraska. Small towns. And they always dreamt bigger and wanted more for themselves. They’ve always been so talented and gifted, and I give thanks to them—and to my grandparents—because I feel like I have some pieces of that. And in the industry, I think of people like Grace Jones, Tyson Beckford, Naomi Campbell, Armando and Fernando Cabral. These are all people who inspired me, who let me know that it’s possible. And Bethann Hardison. She’s always been so sweet to me. I’ve got to shout out her, as well.
On Opening His Own Doors
All I can do is just share my testimony, and whoever can relate to that, I hope I open doors for them. I started out in Arizona as a theater kid doing performing arts, and then I went to L.A. Couldn’t afford the college I was going to, so I had to drop out, and I became an intern for Loriann Gibson, who’s a creative director, choreographer. I didn’t want to stay on her couch for too much longer, so I just started taking photos of myself and I got scouted on Instagram. Next thing you know, I’m in New York, going to fifty castings a day. Hustling. I wouldn’t want to change that process, because it made me who I am today. I have this beginner’s mindset, which is why I get so excited for new projects. It’s evidence of where you can go if you just don’t quit.
On GapStudio
Gap has been around for so long; I remember me, my mom, and my dad would go into malls and buy matching denim sets together. And Gap was one of my first campaigns. I never thought I’d see my face on a billboard, let alone in Times Square. That was ten years ago, and now I’m the first man in a campaign for GapStudio. I love the outfits so much; there’s one with raw denim and a striped shirt that feels so fly to me—which takes all that heritage and elevates it with so much intention thanks to Zac Posen.
So it’s a very full-circle moment for me, and I’m so thankful for it. I just want it to be evidence for anyone doing anything that might feel like the goal is so far away. Sometimes it could take ten years. Sometimes it could take ten days. But trust yourself. Trust God. Trust your purpose and your gift and your creativity, and be open to where it could take you. Those are things that I would want to hear. Because sometimes it feels like what we’re doing isn’t working or we’re not getting somewhere. But it’s important to know that it’s a marathon and it’s not a sprint.
On Creativity
That’s the God in us. We all have creativity in us, but you need to be intentional. You can use that creativity as an outlet to get away from the real world sometimes, which can be very heavy when you’re stressing about time and money and opportunity. Sometimes, when you just focus on creativity, that’s all you need to lead you to a greater opportunity and a divine purpose.
On Being a Multihyphenate
The other things that I do—dancing, singing, styling—they all marry together, and that makes me want to keep doing it. Being multihyphenate is such a gift, and I feel like everyone’s multihyphenate. Don’t do just one thing. It’s about discovering the multiple things that you do like to do, and once you discover that, they all nurture each other.
On What’s Next
I’m excited about my music project. I’ll most likely be releasing this fall, around my birthday. I’ve been singing and songwriting as a hobby and as a creative outlet, almost like, journaling. But I’ve been learning more about the process of songwriting, working with some amazing people, and pushing my voice to levels that I didn’t even know it could go to. I just fell in love with the journey. Being a student is the best experience; if you’re always in a place of learning, it keeps you going with whatever you love.
