Levi’s® Vintage Clothing brings back Bob Dylan’s favourite clothes

Of the many beloved artists who made Levi’s® clothing an essential element of their style, few had as profound a cultural and artistic impact as the legendary Bob Dylan. Set in the influential New York folk music scene of the early 1960s, A Complete Unknown, Searchlight Pictures’ 8 Oscar-nominated film, follows the story of a 19-year-old Minnesota boy who arrives in the West Village with his guitar and a revolutionary talent destined to change the course of American music. Timothée Chalamet brings Bob Dylan to life and performs his songs in the film directed by James Mangold.

During the production of A Complete Unknown, the Levi’s® team collaborated with costume designer Arianne Phillips to capture the authentic fits of denim on a young Bob Dylan. With the help of the extensive Levi’s® Archives, the team consulted on Levi’s® of the era and provided historically accurate denim styles to ensure the wardrobe accurately reflected the era. For Paul O’Neill, Design Director of Levi’s® Vintage Clothing, archival research became a key source for faithfully recreating Dylan’s look. While researching Levi’s® Vintage Clothing’s 2019 ‘Folk City’ collection, O’Neill read the memoirs of Suze Rotolo, Bob Dylan’s former girlfriend.

In it, Rotolo recalled how she had added panels to Dylan’s jeans in the early 1960s so that he could wear them over his boots. This detail is particularly fascinating, as he did this years before Levi’s® offered bootcut jeans. There are several photos of Dylan that clearly show the insert in his jeans, including the cover of his fourth LP ‘Another Side of Bob Dylan’. This key discovery appears in the film.

The new Levi’s® Vintage Clothing x A Complete Unknown collection includes the Levi’s® Vintage Clothing 1955 501® bootcut jeans, the Levi’s® Vintage Clothing ‘D’ Belt and the Levi’s® Vintage Clothing Suede Jacket. Drawing on original references, the Levi’s® team worked closely with Arianne Phillips to identify these key styles from the film and bring them to life in this collection. In designing the packaging, Levi’s® collaborated 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 cut. They have been recreated alongside the leather belt with ‘D’ buckle, an accessory Dylan used to wear. As in the film, the new collection highlights the romantic side of Dylan’s story. Presented in a stylish box with Dylan lettering, the jeans and belt include special tributes, such as the sheet music for ‘Girl from the North Country’, a ‘New Friend’ card from the legendary film ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ and, hidden in the jeans’ watch pocket, a typed note that reads “I’ll let you be in my dreams, if I can be in yours”, one of Dylan’s earliest lyrics.

To complete the set, Levi’s® Vintage Clothing has recreated the classic suede trucker jacket Dylan wore in the early 1960s as a tribute to his timeless style. The jacket comes in special packaging containing the sheet music for ‘A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall’, a ‘Dig Yourself’ card and a still from the film featuring Timothée Chalamet wearing the jacket, jeans and belt.

Coinciding with the film’s European premiere in January and its release in Spain on 28 February in cinemas only, the limited edition A Complete Unknown collection will be available exclusively at Levi.com and selected shops from mid-January 2025.

Undercover celebrates 35 years with a collaboration with Levi’s®.