Most people stopped getting their picture taken with Santa in kindergarten. But Toronto’s Yorkdale mall is trying to change that. This year they’ve hired a model named Paul Mason to play a more adult-friendly, extremely fashionable version of Santa Claus.
He still has the signature snow white beard, but he’s in a lot better shape than your traditional Saint Nick. Mason has been a model for over 30 years, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that he grew out the beard in order to look like Santa’s much cooler younger brother.
As Fashion Santa, Mason still takes photos with people out doing their Christmas shopping, but instead of the bright red velvet jacket, he’s opted for a more stylish burgundy velvet blazer by Ferragamo. To promote Fashion Santa and some of the stores you can find in the mall, Yorkdale also did a photoshoot featuring Mason wearing some of the many high end brands available there.
In keeping with the giving spirit of the holidays, Yorkdale will be donating $1 to the Sick Kids Foundation for every selfie taken with Fashion Santa and posted to social media with the hashtag #YorkdaleFashionSanta.