Bob Dylan’s Custom Jeans Were So Innovative That Levi’s Meticulously Remade Them
Bob Dylan’s ex-girlfriend, Suze Rotolo was one step ahead of the Levi’s design team.
In the early ‘60s, Rotolo would customize Dylan’s Levi’s 501 jeans with panels to fit over his boots, creating a pair of Levi’s bootcut jeans years before the American company offered such a design.
To celebrate Searchlight Pictures’ A Complete Unknown, a film where Timothee Chalamet plays a young Bob Dylan, the Levi’s Vintage Clothing team has meticulously remade Dylan’s original, customized jeans.
“I was honored to consult on this film and work with Arianne [Phillips, costume designer for A Complete Unknown] and team to authentically bring Bob Dylan’s early Levi’s® styles to life,” said Paul O’Neill, design director of Levi’s Vintage Clothing, in a statement.
“It was exciting to reproduce Dylan’s original jeans with the inserted panel and include unique ephemera in the presentation, ensuring our new collection captures the film’s romantic themes while faithfully recreating the iconic Levi's look of an unparalleled genius.”
O’Neill’s carefully recreated bootcut jeans, featuring fading and exposed stitching for an authentic look, are not only featured in the film but have also been put into production, available to buy from January 17, coinciding with the film’s UK release.
Plus, recreating a full Bob Dylan outfit, the Levi's Vintage Clothing team has remade the classic suede trucker jacket worn by Dylan in the early 1960s and a leather belt he always wore.
A piece of Levi’s history, these jeans are the brand's original bootcuts.
