The Pirelli 2025 Calendar by Ethan James Green

Ethan James Green redefines the codes of the famous Pirelli calendar. The 2025 edition, bold and artistic, celebrates a plural and timeless beauty.

A revolution in continuity

Created in 1964, the Pirelli calendar, nicknamed “The Cal”, has become a cultural icon. After collaborations with Annie Leibovitz, Karl Lagerfeld and Steven Meisel, Ethan James Green takes over in 2025. This American photographer, known for his intimate portraits and his mastery of black and white, has set himself a challenge: to offer a new aesthetic while respecting the calendar’s heritage.

“I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and confront my preconceived notions of commercial seaside photography,” confides Green. To achieve this, he captures his models in two distinct environments: in the studio and on a wild beach in Florida. On location, he uses natural elements such as driftwood to create unique props, offering images where the natural blends with the avant-garde.

A celebration of diversity

This edition features eclectic personalities such as South Korean actress Hoyeon, British actress Simone Ashley, and Indo-American author Padma Lakshmi. Green also revisits the stereotype of youth by including women over 50, such as Padma Lakshmi (54) and Jenny Shimizu (57). Lakshmi says: “When I was 20, I would have loved to take part, but to do so now is even more gratifying. It offers a more inclusive vision of beauty.”

Green, influenced by photographers such as Herb Ritts and Richard Avedon, seeks to reactivate a lost timelessness. He works with iconic models such as Hunter Schafer and Martine Gutierrez, but also with new figures. Actress Jodie Turner-Smith, at ease in front of his lens, even offered to pose nude, demonstrating the confidence Green inspires.

A committed artistic approach

Beyond photography, this calendar defends modern values. It rejects patriarchal injunctions to celebrate bodies in their diversity and authenticity. Ethan James Green sums it up: “It’s a tribute to beauty in its rawest form.”

Scheduled for release in early 2025, this edition of the Pirelli calendar promises to be a turning point. It redefines sensuality and celebrates a universal beauty, liberated from diktats.

Read also: Jules Koundé: irony as well-worn as his outfits