The pages of the Pirelli Calendar’s next edition will be melanin heavy. The 2018 issue features an all-black cast reminding us that Black History isn’t just for February, it’s year round.
The British-published calendar by Milan-based tire company Pirelli & C. S.p.A. has been a tradition since the the 1960s. The only other all-black Pirelli cast was shot by Terence Donovan for the 1987 edition. While cast and crew have flown all over the world for past issues, the upcoming calendar was shot in London by acclaimed photographer Tim Walker and styled by British Vogue Editor-In-Chief Edward Enninful. It also draws from UK history and literature. The Pirelli Calendar No. 45 takes a theme inspired by 1865 Lewis Carroll novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. A multinational flock of 17 models and celebs enact its plot with a focus on “the surreal world of dreams” as well as “allusions to unlikely situations, to illusory proverbs, cited with a constant reference to English culture.”
With whimsical and unrealistic happenings, Walker takes viewers down the rabbit hole of wondrous colors and imagination. His take on Carroll’s story features protagonists: Duckie Thot as Alice, Djimon Hounsou as the King of Hearts, Rupaul as the Queen of Hearts, Adut Akech as The Queen of Diamonds, Whoopi Goldberg as the Royal Duchess and Slick Woods as the Mad Hatter. According to CNN, the rest of cast includes: Naomi Campbell, Diddy, Lil Yachty, Lupita Nyong’o, Sasha Lane, Adwoa Aboah, Alpha Dia, King Owusu, Thando Hopa, Wilson Oryema and Zoe Bedeaux.
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