It’s Oscars Week in Los Angeles, which means a packed schedule of star-studded events that I’m not invited to — except for one: On Wednesday, Levi’s hosted a cocktail party celebrating prolific costume designer and stylist Arianne Phillips, who is nominated this year for her work on “A Complete Unknown,” and with whom the brand collaborated on a small consumer collection inspired by Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet)’s wardrobe.
Phillips predominantly designs costumes for period films, meaning she sources most items from vintage dealers and costume houses, in addition to building her own. Levi’s is one of the few “contemporary” brands she works with directly (on films like “Mod Squad” and “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood”), thanks to its extensive vintage archives and prevalence throughout history: Though founded in 1853, Levi’s started gaining widespread popularity when the “blue jean craze” took hold in the 1960s — basically the exact time period in which “A Complete Unknown” is set. Bob Dylan is one of several influential public figures who helped establish the brand’s jeans as the de facto uniform for youth and the counter-culture movement of that era.
Photo: Courtesy of Levi’s
“I’ve been working with Levi’s on and off for probably 20, 25 years,” Phillips told me at the event. “Levi’s is unique. They’re one of the only heritage brands that are integral in place and haven’t gone through a lot of changes over the years, and they have incredible archives, so I can always rely on them to vet authentic denim.” After initial research into Bob Dylan’s style, it became clear that Levi’s would be a crucial resource for her latest film; according to Phillips, he’s worn them “pretty much his whole life.”
“I called them up to help vet the denim, and that started this wonderful collaboration where, not only did they supply denim and source vintage denim for our movie, but they also recreated denim that they made in the ’60s, specifically for Timothée Chalamet,” Phillips explained. “The way that denim ended up becoming part of the youth culture — a real departure from how their parents dressed — is really at the crux of this story about this folk movement that Bob Dylan came out of.”
Merchandise partnerships between brands and blockbuster films and TV series (be it “Barbie,” “Wicked” or “The White Lotus”) have recently exploded in popularity, but Levi’s X “A Complete Unknown” is unique. For Phillips, the decision to do an official partnership had a lot to do with the denim brand’s authentic connection to the film and the story it depicts.
Photos: Courtesy of Levi’s
“In this case, I made the suggestion to the studio that we do a partnership with Levi’s because I was already organically putting Levi’s in the film,” she shared. She’s wary about collabs that don’t feel so organic. “There’s so much branding that goes into films these days and I think oftentimes it overly commercializes a film. So it’s finding what is organically aligned anyway. And that’s the beautiful thing about this collaboration with Levi’s is that it’s part of Bob Dylan’s story.”
Phillips’ own participation in the collaboration, as the person responsible for the film’s costumes, adds to that authenticity. It’s something Phillips feels strongly about, as she has always been a vocal advocate for costume designers receiving the credit (and pay) they deserve for the expertise and workload their jobs require. (“A Complete Unknown” reportedly included about 67 costume changes for Chalamet alone, in addition to 120 speaking roles with eight to 30 changes each and more than 5,000 extras. Phillips only had about 10 weeks to prepare.) And that extends to merchandising opportunities.
“I’m always interested in those opportunities, not only for myself, but for my colleagues,” she noted. “The public, if they want to buy a T-shirt or a jacket or even a Halloween costume, knowing that the costume designer who created the initial costumes has a say in that just makes for more authentic product. And it’s a rare day that costume designers are involved in merchandising, which is why I usually take the opportunity.”
Photos: Courtesy of Levi’s
That said, the potential for such opportunities doesn’t necessarily factor into her “day job.” And while she does enjoy viewers sharing their positive reactions to her costumes (and often begging to know where to purchase a certain item), consumer perception isn’t a priority either.
“First and foremost, I’m a costume designer and I’m interested in telling stories and designing costumes in collaboration with a director and a great script and wonderful actors,” she clarified. “And as a byproduct, if there is an opportunity to build on that with something that we use in the movie that we can make available to the public, then yes, I’m always interested in that because I do love the ability to create an authentic product for the public so they can have a piece of the film.”
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Source: Fashionista.com
