Of the many beloved artists who made Levi’s® garments central to their style, few had the cultural and artistic impact of the legendary Bob Dylan. Set in the influential New York folk music scene of the early 60s, Searchlight Pictures’ A Complete Unknown follows an enigmatic 19-year-old from Minnesota who arrives in the West Village with his guitar and revolutionary talent, destined to change the course of American music. Timothée Chalamet stars and sings as Bob Dylan in the James Mangold film. After assisting in the costume design process, the Levi’s® Vintage Clothing team will celebrate its release with a new collection that honors Dylan and his classic looks.
During the production of A Complete Unknown, the Levi’s® team worked with costume designer Arianne Phillips to capture the authentic denim fits of a young Bob Dylan. With the help of the expansive Levi’s® Archives, the team consulted on the period’s Levi’s® and supplied historically accurate denim styles.
The new Levi’s® Vintage Clothing x A Complete Unknown collection includes the Levi’s® Vintage Clothing 1955 501® jeans with bootcut insert, a Levi’s® Vintage Clothing “D” Belt, and the Levi’s® Vintage Clothing Suede Jacket. The Levi’s® team worked closely with Arianne Phillips to identify these key styles from the film and bring them to life for this collection. For the packaging, the Levi’s® team worked with Universal Music Group and Searchlight Pictures to incorporate some original Bob Dylan lyrics and stills from the film.
Paying homage to Dylan’s custom pair, the new Levi’s® Vintage Clothing 1955 501® jeans feature the same bootcut insert. They were recreated alongside a leather “D” buckle belt that Dylan always wore. Like the movie, the new collection highlights the romantic side of Dylan’s story. Presented in a beautiful box emblazoned with Dylan’s lyrics, the jeans and belt come with special tributes, including the sheet music for “Girl from the North Country, a “New Friend” cue card from the legendary “Subterranean Homesick Blues” film, and, hidden in the watch pocket of the jeans, a typed note that reads “I’ll let you be in my dreams, if I can be in yours” – an early Dylan lyric.
To complete the outfit, the Levi’s® Vintage Clothing team has remade the classic suede trucker jacket worn by Dylan in the early 1960s. The jacket is presented in a box that includes sheet music for “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” a “Dig Yourself” cue card, and a movie still featuring Timothée Chalamet wearing the jacket, jeans and belt. Like the 501® jeans, the jacket comes with costume notes on the inside pocket calling out A Complete Unknown as well as noting the outfit change and scene the product is featured in.
