Pirelli’s 2018 calendar has been revealed with an all-black, all-star cast reimagining the Alice in Wonderland fairytale.
This year’s calendar was photographed by famed British fashion photographer Tim Walker, whose fantastical imagery regularly appears in Vogue, W and Love, in collaboration with stylist Edward Enninful, who was recently appointed to chief editor at British Vogue. The duo reimagined John Tenniel’s illustrations seen in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, tapping a number of famous faces to make that fantasy come to life.
Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o is cast as the Dormouse, while RuPaul — best known for his reality competition series RuPaul’s Drag Race — shines as the Queen of Heart. Model Naomi Campbell is the Royal Beheader alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs.
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Comedian Whoopi Goldberg (as the Royal Duchess), American Honey star Sasha Lane (as the Mad March Hare), model/activist Adwoa Aboah (as Tweedledee), rapper Lil Yachty (as the Queen’s Guard) and model Slick Woods (as the Mad Hatter) also bring characters to life for the calendar.
German fashion photograph Peter Lindbergh photographed the 2017 calendar, recruiting Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara, Helen Mirren and Julianne Moore, to name a few, who appeared without makeup as his muses. Nyong’o also appeared in the 2017 calendar.
According to CNN, Pirelli previously enlisted an all-black cast for its 1987 edition, featuring the then-teenaged Campbell.
The first Pirelli calendar dates back to 1964, when the tire company’s U.K. subsidiary was looking for a marketing strategy to help stand out from domestic competition, according to the company. The calendar ceased publication in 1974, due to the world recession sparked by the Yom Kippur war and the oil crisis, before starting up again in 1984. Since then, the limited-edition calendar has become an highly anticipated, collectible visual feast.
