If you’re a fashion lover like us, it’s likely that Tuesday, November 12 has been marked on your calendar for some time now as it’s the official release day for the 2025 Pirelli Calendar.
As expected, this year's fashion-filled calendar has a stacked lineup of industry moguls, including Euphoria star Hunter Schafer and Bridgerton's Simone Ashley.
Titled ‘Refresh and Reveal’ by Ethan James, the fifty-first edition takes a “sensual approach” showcasing Hunter, Simone and various other actors, artists, singers, and models, including Jodie Turner-Smith, Elodie and Padma Lakshmi in their raw forms.
Shot on the beaches of Miami by famed fashion photographer Ethan James Green, the same genius behind many of the fashion sphere's most iconic editorial and cover shots, each subject features in both a full colour and black and white shot.
For Hunter’s final image, the actor, model and activist knelt at the forefront of a barren beachscape with rolling waves in the background. Wearing nothing but a beach tussock covering their bare body, the 25-year-old reminded everyone why both Prada and Mugler enlisted her as the brand's face, effortlessly commanding the camera's attention with her piercing blue eyes and fair skin.
As for Simone, her chosen image was shot in a make-shift on-site studio set up at Miami’s Virginia Key Beach Park. The black and white image showcased the Sex Education actress in a revealing, yet overly chic sopping wet white ribbed tank top (ripped at one shoulder) and a set of knickers. Letting her natural long curly brunette locks roam free, Ethan captured the 29-year-old in her purest form, reminding lovers of fashion and photography just how striking a black-and-white image can be.
What is the Pirelli Annual Calendar?
Also trademarked as The Cal, the annual Pirelli Calendar is as iconic as it gets in the fashion realm. Each issue is carefully crafted with both the photographer and talent hand-selected by industry moguls to ensure the reputation is upheld to the highest standard. Former Pirelli CEO, Marco Tronchetti Provera, describes the purpose of the calendar as a way “to mark the passing of time by recording the zeitgeist.”
Originally created by British art director Derek Forsyth in 1964, The Cal has since featured some of the world's most notable names as the sultry subject matter, including Helen Mirren, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Serena Williams, Yoko Ono and Patti Smith.
Now, almost 60 years on from the first edition (it took a 10-year hiatus after the 1974 issue was released due to a global recession) the legendary keepsake is hard to get your hands on, as they only produce 20,000 issues each year, selling out within minutes.
Pirelli's CEO from 1992 to 2022, commented that the purpose of the Cal is "to mark the passing of time" by recording the zeitgeist.
Who is the photographer for the 2025 calendar?
Born in Michigan and based in New York, Ethan James Green is a leading name in the world of fashion photography and portraiture and is the latest of the 43 great artists (taking into account that some editions were by pairs of photographers) called to shoot the Pirelli
Calendar in its 61-year history from 1964 to 2025. This calendar also marks the third time that a photographer of The Cal has also been included in the cast.