This “fashion Santa” is helping kids and breaking hearts

Fashion Santa
Photo courtesy of Yorkdale.com

You might not be able to sit on his lap, but Yorkdale Mall’s “Fashion Santa” is happy to take a selfie with you. For this holiday season the man in red has been given a hipster makeover—the Toronto mall has turned good old Saint Nick into an Instagram-primed lumbersexual.

“I often say I’m Santa’s younger brother — the thinner version,” Paul Mason, the model playing Fashion Santa, told the CBC.

Decked out in designer duds—his signature crimson velvet blazer is Ferragamo—and ready to strike a high fashion pose, Fashion Santa doesn’t need reindeer, or elves, to inspire cheer. Mason is a Kris Kringle for adults, and he’s relishing the role.

“On Saturday, I had a woman, she must have been 70 years old, she said, ‘I haven’t taken a photo with Santa since I was like five’ … so I love it.”

Fashion Santa isn’t just in town to fuel a thousand memes, he’s also helping raise money for a good cause. For every photo tagged with #YorkdaleFashionSanta, the mall will donate $1 to SickKids—they’re willing to go up to $10,000.

The mall also has a more traditional Santa for visiting kids, and you can sit on his lap.