Last November, Michaela Stark nearly got trampled by cows while shooting the images for her inaugural calendar, so it makes sense that this year, she’s sticking to the safety of a studio. Despite this more cautious approach, 2025’s edition is no less subversive, with the London-based artist once more stuffed into her signature corsetry, boobs and belly spilling out of the seams. The difference this year is that she’s been dramatically overgrown by flowers, like an ancient carved statue untended and left to nature.
This time around, the calendar is a joint effort, with Stark calling on fellow artist Daniel Del Valle to collaborate on the year ahead. The two first met in London in 2017, when Stark was interning at a brand where Del Valle was a model, and forged a strong friendship. It’s probably a good job the two have these foundations since this project – their first official collaboration – required Stark to sit still for hours on end, as Del Valle painstakingly stuck individual petals across her entire body.
Alongside the floral arrangements, Del Valle also created a series of ceramic pieces, including a high-heeled shoe and a dramatic headpiece, and weaved a corset and crini using willow tree branches. On her side, Stark called this project one of her most intense shoots to date, as she contorted her body for hours on end.
“The process was both physically and emotionally intense,” she explains. “Every petal, every moment of transformation, became almost a meditation – mostly because Dani refused to let me move because everything was so delicate. Even if I breathed too heavily, I would get a menacing glare.” The resulting images tap deeply into her vulnerabilities and are all the more alluring and beautiful for it.
CREDITS Artists Michaela Stark and Daniel Del Valle, Photography Raga Munecas, Styling Alex Francisco, Hair Tasos Constantinou, Makeup Martina Derosa, Lighting Assistant Yoan Zdravkov, Special thanks to Blu Diaz