The 2018 Pirelli Calendar by Tim Walker is here and it all about the surreal world of dreams. The theme this year is Alice in Wonderland and while some pretty big names played some pretty big roles, it was the decidedly non-fictional theme of race and representation that caught the most attention.
Photographer Tim Walker shot the entire series with a number of black actors, models, musicians and designers from all over the world making this year’s calendar, one of true significance.
“Inclusivity is more part of the conversation than it has ever been before, but it goes far beyond black and white,” Edward Enninful, the new editor of British Vogue said. “It is about all creeds, all colours, all sizes and people just living their truths.”
For those unaware, the Pirelli Calendar was established decades ago by the tire company originally as an annual showcase of female beauty. More recently, however, the calendar has evolved to redefine what beauty really is and more or less creates images to make a social statement. Though the calendar is not sold to the public, it is gifted to celebrities and insiders in various industries.
This year’s calendar features the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, RuPaul, Naomi Campbell, Adwoa Aboah, Australia’s Next Top Model alumni Duckie Thot, Lil Yachty, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Slick Woods and more.
“As a photographer, you don’t ever want to do what has been done before, so it was important for me to feel I was doing something completely different here,” Photographer, Tim Walker said, adding that the decision to cast only black models had been entirely his own.
Tim Walker says that it’s important as a photographer to create something fresh but also something to make people think.
“The story of Alice has been told so many times and in so many ways, but always with a white cast,” Photographer, Tim Walker continued. “There has never been a black Alice, so I wanted to push how fictional fantasy figures can be represented and explore evolving ideas of beauty.”
The calendar was officially launched on Wednesday. For more on the 2018 Pirelli Calendar, visit the Calendar’s website, here.