Entitled "Love Letters to the Muse," the Pirelli 2023 calendar was shot by Australian photographer Emma Summerton and features 14 famous models.

Summerton is only the fifth woman to shoot the calendar in its 58-year history.

I believe that a woman determined to succeed in life is unstoppable. Fascinated by women who do extraordinary, creative things, including Summerton, these women have inspired me throughout my life. For 2023, the keys to the calendar were handed to a woman photographer – Summerton.

She photographed 14 of the world’s most high-profile models for the 2023 Pirelli calendar including Cara Delevingne, Emily Ratajkowski, Ashley Graham, Bella Hadid, Karlie Kloss, Adut Akech, Lila Moss, Adwoa Aboah, Lauren Wasser, He Cong, Precious Lee, Sasha Pivovarova, Guinevere van Seenus and Kaya Wilkins. The 49th edition of the calendar was shot in studios in New York and London.

As the 2023 calendar launches, I had a chance to speak with photographer Emma Summerton and model Lauren Wasser about their work. The first thing that caught my attention on the calendar was Summerton's ability to capture and display strong, deep emotions.

My favorite photo on the calendar featured Karlie Kloss, who is "The Tech Savant," having pioneered coding classes for girls, pictured in a futuristic virtual-reality landscape. Bella Hadid is "The Sprite," who reveals only as much of herself as she wants you to know. Lauren Wasser is "The Athlete," shot on a barren, almost lunar landscape, like an alien queen ready for battle. In referencing aspects of the women’s actual identities, Summerton allowed them to play out a part of themselves.

"I feel honored to be the fifth woman photographer of Pirelli Calendar, I think how great it is that there are so many more female photographers working now than ever before which is fantastic. The experience was so emotional, exciting and incredible. I felt a strong emotional connection to all portraits, as many of them were based on people I know and love," Summerton told Daily Sabah exclusively before the calendar's launch event.

"I appreciated the female energy on set, it was amazing and to be honest, it’s been emotional," she continued.

"The inspiration was the women, what they do, who they are, so that’s the basis. I am emotional and I like to be open about my work. I think you have to be in touch with your emotions. We decided to have one woman who introduced the calendar and one who closed the calendar so that we didn’t have to stick to 12 months. Also, the Greek Muses were nine, so we upped it in that regard as well," Summerton said.

"The woman is a bit alien or otherworldly. There is some magic realism going on for sure. All these things are part of my expression," she added.

Fighting Spirit

Ten years ago, Lauren Wasser came down with toxic shock syndrome, which eventually caused her to undergo a double leg amputation – today she is in the 49th edition of the Pirelli Calendar.

Wasser wore a knitted bodysuit by Justine Janot and a flowing green cape for the Pirelli photo shoot. She also loved being part of such an epic cast and being with amazing women celebrating and empowering each other.

"It’s an honor to be part of this project. It was a special set where I felt very powerful," Wasser said as I spoke with her.

"The main message of the calendar is empowerment, you feel strong when you see the pictures. After losing my legs, I had to dig deep and figure out myself from the ground up, which now blessed my life. I thought I would never do modeling again, and here I am. And I’m just grateful for this time ... and for the example that I hope I’m leading and inspiring as many people as possible," she explained, adding that loving yourself is "the biggest thing" in life.