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Lupita Nyong'o and RuPaul featured on all-black 2018 Pirelli calendar

By Daniel Uria

July 20 (UPI) -- The 2018 installment of the Pirelli calendar features a cast of entirely black models and celebrities, including Lupita Nyong'o, RuPaul and Naomi Campbell.

British fashion photographer Tim Walker shot the 45th edition of the tire company's annual calendar, which was styled by British Vogue editor Edward Enninful, featuring the all-black cast in an Alice in Wonderland setting.

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"Inclusivity is more part of the conversation than it has ever been before, but it goes far beyond black and white," Enninfnul told the New York Times. "It is about all creeds, all colors, all sizes and people just living their truths. A lot of this is about digital giving people voices, and a new generation who refuse to compromise and want answers to the questions that matter to them. Given the state of the world we live in, sometimes I think we all feel like we've fallen down the rabbit hole. For me, a retelling of 'Alice' for the modern world was a perfect project, particularly once the cast fell into place."

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Pirelli shared a photo of RuPaul posing in front of a throne of playing cards as the Queen of Hearts while flanked by Djimon Hounsou and Duckie Thot.

The cast also includes Adut Akech, Adwoa Aboah, Alpha Dia, King Owusu, Lil Yachty, Sasha Lane, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Slick Woods, Thando Hopa, Wilson Oryema, Whoopi Goldberg and Zoe Bedeaux.

Each model was assigned a character from Alice in Wonderland with Duckie Thot taking on the role of Alice, Combs as The Royal Beheader, Goldberg as The Royal Duchess, and Woods as The Mad Hatter.

Pirelli shifted the focus of its calendar in 2016 when it hired Annie Leibowitz to photograph women that inspire her and continued the trend for 2017 by having Peter Lindbergh photograph older actresses with minimal make-up and digital retouching.

"I moved mountains to be a part of this," Combs said. "It is a chance to push social consciousness and break down barriers. For so many years, something like this would not have happened in the fashion world, so it feels like being part of history and playing an active role. I want to lead by example."

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