A surrealist fantasy shoot for Pirelli’s annual calendar has enlisted 17 international celebrities to strike a pose for 2018, which is centred on the theme of Alice in Wonderland with an all-black cast.
American rapper and record producer Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is The Royal Beheader, along with supermodel Naomi Campbell, while reality TV star RuPaul is regal as The Queen of Hearts.
The 2018 Pirelli shoot sees British fashion photographer Tim Walker get behind the camera to create its annual calendar, which is only ever given out to a restricted number of VIPs and corporate clients of the Italian tire manufacturer. Celebrities from the world of fashion, music and cinema have been roped in to channel their creativity for the shoot. In a series of behind-the-scene images recently released, American actress and television host Whoopi Goldberg is seen posing as The Royal Duchess, while South Sudanese-Australian model Duckie Thot breaks all stereotypical perceptions of Alice.
Other standout characters include Beninese-American actor and model Djimon Hounsou as The King of Hearts; Mexican-Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o as The Dormouse; American model Slick Woods, as The Mad Hatter; and Thando Hopa, the South African model and lawyer, as The Princess of Hearts
The Pirelli Calendar shoot has been an annual event since 1963, which tries to portray scenarios that provide social commentary. In 2017, the company jumped on the anti-airbrushing movement and produced an all-star calendar, featuring Hollywood stars such as Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore, without being retouched.
For 2016, the theme was strong, interesting women, which included tennis ace Serena Williams, along with actress Amy Schumer, musical legend Patti Smith and Yoko Ono.
