Levi’s “Reiimagine” campaign starring “Cowboy Carter” hitmaker Beyoncé may have ended but the Western spirit lives on at Levi’s.
This week, the denim brand launched a new Icons campaign featuring five-time Grammy Award nominee country-pop artist Shaboozey, and chef, restaurateur and television star Matty Matheson.
The campaign center on three cinematic films described as “scrappy, quick-witted, with a side of reckless.” Directed by Glenn Kitson with cinematography by Galo Olivares, the films showcase Levi’s most iconic men’s fits and styles.
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The first filmed, called “The Jean,” launched on Monday. Set in an automobile shop, it highlights the durability and strength of the 501. The second and third films will highlight Levi’s Trucker Jacket and Western Shirt.
With “defiance, mischief, self-assuredness and dry humor,” Levi’s said the films underscore how any ordinary day can be turned into a story worth telling. The campaign will roll out across digital and social platforms, with accompanying print campaigns.
“Levi’s has always been about more than denim—it’s about the spirit of the people who wear it,” said Kenny Mitchell, global chief marketing officer of the Levi’s brand at Levi Strauss & Co. “Shaboozey brings a genre-blurring, confident nonconformity that feels right at home in Levi’s, and Matty’s got that same self-made, mischievous spirit. We wanted to imagine the kind of world they’d create if left to their own devices—paying homage to our history, even the ads, in a way that feels unmistakably Levi’s.”
The campaign reunites Levi’s with Shaboozey. The brand has previously created custom pieces for the “A Bar Song” singer and Beyoncé collaborator for performances and editorial features. “Working with Levi’s feels like coming home,” Shaboozey said in a statement.
The Western trend has been good to Levi’s as it now pivots the theme toward men.
In addition to designing bespoke looks for Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” tour, Levi’s recently bowed a collection of rhinestone-embellished and laced denim with the “Jolene” singer.
In the company’s Q2 earnings call in July, Michelle Gass, Levi Strauss & Co. president and CEO, said the brand sees the Western trend evolving in a softer and subtle aesthetic.
“Quiet western is perfect for the Levi’s denim lifestyle aesthetic and a natural place for us to lead,” she said.
