Pirelli is known for its magnificent, performance-friendly tires. Since the 1960s, however, the Italian company has also been making hugely popular calendars.

Not so long ago, those calendars were targeted at straight, white men–greasemonkeys and gearheads who wanted to enjoy a little T&A with their tires. In recent years, however, the images have gotten edgier, and this year, photographer Tim Walker and stylist Edward Enninful (the new editor of British Vogue) may have gone right over the brink–in a fabulous, Thelma and Louise kinda way.

For the 2018 calendar, Walker chose an Alice in Wonderland-theme with an all-black cast. And at the center of it sits the Queen of Hearts, the Sultana of Sashay-Away, RuPaul:

“Inclusivity is more part of the conversation than it has ever been before, but it goes far beyond black and white,” Mr. Enninful said. “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”….

“This is not about trends, this is about the zeitgeist today,” Mr. Walker said. “I think we are living in a fantastically exciting time, particularly when a story like that of Alice, that has held such resonance with so many people and been told in a certain way for so long, can now be told compellingly in another.”