All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just
$449
$49
per year ongoing
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

Is this the most hipster Father Christmas ever?

Daily Telegraph UK
21 Dec, 2016 10:15 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Santa has had an upgrade this year in the form of Hip Nic. Photo / Instagram / mo_moustache
Santa has had an upgrade this year in the form of Hip Nic. Photo / Instagram / mo_moustache

Santa has had an upgrade this year in the form of Hip Nic. Photo / Instagram / mo_moustache

Like everything else in the world, from burgers to Shakespeare, Christmas has had a hipster makeover. The round Father Christmas we all know and love has had an upgrade, resurfacing in the form of French male model Philippe Dumas.

Gone are the rosy cheeks, chubby waist, wild beard, and even the reindeers (replaced with a stylish red motorcycle), to make way for 'Hip Nic', who looks more like the type of person you'd find strolling around Shoreditch than what we've come to expect from Saint Nick.

This is him here:

View this post on Instagram

Psssst ! M. Moustache vous offre la livraison via TNT jusqu'au mercredi 21 décembre ! Enfilez donc votre costume de Père Noël et rendez-vous sur notre site. #noel #noel2016 #perenoel #christmasiscoming #christmas #christmasgifts #santaclaus #santa

A post shared by M. Moustache (@m.moustache) on Dec 18, 2016 at 11:39am PST

Deviating from tradition, Hip Nic won't invite you to sit on his lap - an action that loses some of its Christmas charm without the jovial, rotund Santa Claus behind the request. Instead, he'll be on hand to take a festive selfie and tell you about the merits of beard oil.

All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just
$449
$49
per year ongoing
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Dumas, a 60-year-old who made headlines earlier this year after a Reddit post of images of him went viral, has been delighting the inner children of grown adults in his Canary Wharf Grotto, which features turntables and neon graffiti.

He was invited to the financial hub after research from the Canary Wharf Group revealed that 76 per cent of Londoners believe Christmas just isn't the same once you grow up. Hip Nic's role, then, is to give people a reason to get "excited about Christmas again."

And Hip Nic isn't the only modern Santa doing the rounds this Christmas, as more and more hipster versions of Father Christmas have begun cropping up all over Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

This is probably my favourite portrait I've taken of @dumphil for @canarywharflondon #editorial #model #beard #bearded #santa #christmas #photographer #photo #portrait

A post shared by Nunzio Prenna (@69drops) on Dec 16, 2016 at 6:22am PST

View this post on Instagram

Thursday is your last chance to visit with Portland Hipster Santa - don't miss out! 🎅🏼http://bit.ly/2gUwliT #portlandhipstersanta #hipstersanta

A post shared by Pioneer Place (@pioneerplace) on Dec 19, 2016 at 12:11pm PST

View this post on Instagram

Cooper's first-ever photo with Santa is, of course, Hipster Santa. #santa #christmas #hipster #hipstersanta

A post shared by Jeff White (@jeffswhite) on Dec 17, 2016 at 1:52pm PST

View this post on Instagram

Christmas 2016 🎄🎅🏼 #DTphx #phoestivus #liveauthentic

A post shared by Julie Corley (@julie_corley) on Dec 17, 2016 at 10:50am PST

View this post on Instagram

Hey @roaminggnome ... you ain't got nothin on #Santa. @nomad.newyork #nyc #homefortheholidays #boozysanta #dondeestamyelves #roaminggnome #nomadbar @shinestythreads #socialsanta #hipstersanta #freedrinksbecauseimsantadamnit #santasthirsty

A post shared by David Beahm (@davidbeahmtoo) on Dec 14, 2016 at 7:24pm PST

View this post on Instagram

Happy Holidays from #HipsterSanta at @DowntownPhoenix, AZ @Phoestivus Market #phoestivus2016 Picture by: @laurenthepotter_

A post shared by BICYCLE NOMAD™ (@bicycle_nomad) on Dec 11, 2016 at 2:44pm PST

Discover more

Lifestyle

Dad's amazing post goes viral

22 Dec 07:20 AM
Lifestyle

Scorned lover's public revenge

15 Jan 02:30 AM
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Lifestyle

NZ bodycare founder Tanné Snowden: 'Living with endometriosis doesn't mean you're broken'

Royals

'Life is precious': Prince Harry open to reconciliation with royal family

Lifestyle

Airplane noise may harm hearing, experts warn


Sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Recommended for you

Albanese and Xi meet in Beijing to boost economic co-operation
World

Albanese and Xi meet in Beijing to boost economic co-operation

People trapped in Waiuku single-vehicle crash, emergency services on scene
New Zealand

People trapped in Waiuku single-vehicle crash, emergency services on scene

'A gross over-reaction': Woman was already on bail when she started smashing a car with a hammer
New Zealand

'A gross over-reaction': Woman was already on bail when she started smashing a car with a hammer

Luxury Queenstown hotel fined $22k over illegal crayfish heli-dining package
New Zealand

Luxury Queenstown hotel fined $22k over illegal crayfish heli-dining package

Historic Grand Canyon lodge destroyed as wildfires devastate North Rim
World

Historic Grand Canyon lodge destroyed as wildfires devastate North Rim

KiwiRail bans 2500 workers from using sleep meds citing safety concerns
New Zealand

KiwiRail bans 2500 workers from using sleep meds citing safety concerns



Latest from Lifestyle

NZ bodycare founder Tanné Snowden: 'Living with endometriosis doesn't mean you're broken'
Lifestyle

NZ bodycare founder Tanné Snowden: 'Living with endometriosis doesn't mean you're broken'

'Pain was just something I thought you were supposed to put up with.'

15 Jul 02:00 AM
'Life is precious': Prince Harry open to reconciliation with royal family
Royals

'Life is precious': Prince Harry open to reconciliation with royal family

15 Jul 01:53 AM
Airplane noise may harm hearing, experts warn
Lifestyle

Airplane noise may harm hearing, experts warn

15 Jul 01:10 AM


Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper
Sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

01 Jul 04:58 PM

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just
$449
$49
per year ongoing
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search