Always highly anticipated, the iconic Pirelli 2025 calendar, also known as “The Cal”, has just been presented in London, at the Natural History Museum. The 51st edition, “Refresh and Reveal”, returns to its original aesthetic: accurately combining the body and sensuality, without losing elegance. “In respect of the elegance of Pirelli and its vision, in order to be able to reveal, it was necessary to hide,” explains from the outset Tonne Goodmanfashion director on the project and former fashion editor of Vogue.
Imagining a prestigious advertising calendar with the help of the greatest photographers of the moment has been the idea since 1964 of the British subsidiary of Pirelli, the famous tire company. The goal: to develop a new marketing strategy that would stand out from the competition. Mission accomplished. By trusting the most celebrated artists of their time, the brand made it possible to make its project a contemporary, cutting-edge and refined photographic work, with artistic and cultural connotations that immediately distinguish it from the world of fashion and glamour.
For this 51st edition, the casting is obviously up to the task. The actress and model were thus invited Hunter Schaferthe television presenter and writer Padma LakshmiFrench actor Vincent Cassel, singer and model ElodieBritish actresses Simone Ashley et Jodie Turner-SmithSouth Korean actress Hoyeon, Martine Gutierrez, Connie Fleming or even the actors John Boyega et Jenny Shimizu.
At the helm and behind the lens, the photographer Ethan James Greenone of the prodigies of his generation. Since he collaborated with the biggest fashion titles, all of New York has been raving about him. Renowned for his distinctive eye and his perfect mastery of portraiture and intimacy, he has worked with huge stars such as Rihanna, Linda EvangelistaMargot Robbie, Christy Turlington or even Mariah Carey. He was the perfect candidate to take on the mission assigned by the tire company for this 2025 calendar. “I was enthusiastic about exploring the beauty of today and being able to present it in a context like that of Pirelli calendar, which has always celebrated it. We called the concept “Refresh and Reveal” because we return to the origins of the calendar and celebrate the body in new ways, which reflect the current moment,” he explained in a statement.
Captured between the beaches of Miami and a photo studio set up on site, the 24 photos in the calendar are each offered in a colored version and another in black and white, sometimes produced with difficulty, having to cope with the vagaries of bad weather. capricious. “In May, the sky was always clear,” says Ethan James Green. In June we had a lot of rain. It was actually fantastic because the rain brought more variety to our beach photos. But the weather wasn't the only challenge. For the photo on the beach of Vincent Cassel, for example, we went very far into the water. For another take, I was on the top step of a ladder of about six meters for a long time. »
To discover a behind-the-scenes look at the shooting and some never-before-seen images from the project, it’s here:
