Alton Mason Is Making Moves

Alton Mason Is Making Moves

Photography by Max Papendieck / Styling by Rachel Wang

The most striking thing about rising star Alton Mason isn't his attention-grabbing looks, his dancer's finesse or the enviable modeling contracts he's landed for Kanye West's Yeezy Season Three, Gucci's first all-black campaign and, most recently, Virgil Abloh's groundbreaking debut with Louis Vuitton. No, it's that this wide-eyed, well-connected 21-year-old is just getting started. But Mason, who moved to Los Angeles full time this summer to focus on acting, doesn't get lost in the bold-faced names he counts as friends. (For clues to whom, check his Instagram.) Instead, he's concentrating on his own growth, taking acting classes and tap-dance lessons. "I love change," he says, "and I love being the underdog and putting in work and just fighting to be great." — Trupti Rami

Read Alton Mason's full PAPER People interview, here.

Clothing and Accessories: Louis Vuitton

Photography: Max Papendieck
Styling: Rachel Wang
Stylist Assistant: Ian von Luxburg
Grooming: Yuko Mizuno (Rona Represents)