The 49th edition of Pirelli’s legendary calendar has as its motto “Love Letters to the Muse” and is a hymn to female empowerment
This year’s calendar, under the title “The Cal”, was photographed by the Australian Emma Summerton and the protagonists of her lens were, among others: Cara Delevingne, Ashley Graham, Bella Hadid, Emily Ratajkowski, Sasha Pivovarova, Karlie Kloss, Lila Moss, Guinevere Van Seenus, Ashley Graham, and Okay Kaya.
For the needs of this year’s edition, Summerton created dreamy archetypes of women who inspired her. Karlie Kloss appears as a technician, Emily Ratajkowski as a writer, Cara Delevingne as an actress, Sasha Pivovarova as a painter, and Ashley Graham as an activist, each representing a reference to passions beyond the catwalk and photo shoots.
This is the first time in eight years that the calendar will feature models, rather than a mix of actors, musicians, athletes, activists, and other professionals.
Cara Delevingne photographed by Emma Summerton for the 2023 Pirelli Calendar Titled “Love Letters to the Muse”
• The 2023 Pirelli calendar will be released next November pic.twitter.com/dl80pelJfl
— CARAUPDATES (@US_CARA) August 22, 2022
“I hope, listening to all these great women talk about their journey, about who they are, that they become a source of inspiration for the rest,” said the photographer.
The world’s most famous calendar, which started in 1964, has grown into an important “platform” for art photographers. For the 2023 calendar models, the experience was all about empowerment.
“ It’s definitely something made by women for women, empowering all different types of people. And I think that’s what people want to see today,” said model Ashley Graham.
According to Pirelli, the concept of the 2023 Calendar focuses “on the muses, the fantastical and archetypal figures that have inspired the photographer throughout her life. It is a tribute to all the women who have inspired Summerton, from her mother to singers, actresses, artists, writers, activists, painters, and many more. Many of her ideas and creations come from these women, who are both real and fictional.”
