Behind the scenes of Pirelli's Alice in Wonderland-themed calendar (Video)

SHOT by legendary fashion photographer Tim Walker and styled by Edward Enniful, the recently appointed editor-in-chief of British Vogue, the 2018 Pirelli calendar stars a veritable who's who of famous faces from the worlds of fashion and show business, with a sneak peek provided in a just-released video teaser.
Dressed in fantastical costumes against a set designed by long-time Tim Walker collaborator Shona Heath, the Alice in Wonderland-themed calendar features Lupita Nyong'o as The Dormouse, Whoopi Goldberg as The Royal Duchess and British model Adwoa Aboah as Tweedledee.
Men also make an appearance in this year's shoot, with Sean 'Diddy' Combs starring alongside Naomi Campbell as The Royal Beheaders, as well as TV personality and drag queen Ru Paul, and rapper Lil Yachty.
By featuring only black protagonists, Pirelli are entering the conversation surrounding inclusivity and diversity in fashion.
"The story of Alice has been told so many times and in so many ways, but always with a white cast," explained Tim Walker to the New York Times. "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 first Pirelli calendar was launched in 1964, and for decades it focused on scantily clad images of A-list models and actresses. In recent years, however, there has been a move towards celebrating women for their achievements rather than only their appearance. The 2016 edition, which was shot by Annie Leibovitz, featured Patti Smith, Serena Williams and Yoko Ono, among others, while in 2017 photographer Peter Lindbergh shot the likes of Charlotte Rampling, Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman all fully clothed and wearing very little make-up.
Watch the video: