Levi's and Grateful Dead have come together to celebrate both brand's ongoing legacy of music, community, creativity as well as the 50th anniversary of the iconic live album "Skull & Roses". The capsule collection highlights a range of Levi's tees, fleece, denim, and accessories that all feature Grateful Dead graphics and colourful tie-dye.
To honour the legacy of the band, and to capture the joy their music has brought so many people over the last half century, the collection serves as unique way to tell their legendary story. A big part of the collection celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Grateful Dead live album known as “Skull & Roses” that
was released in 1971 and has been blowing minds ever since.
The release of the album introduced the iconic “Skull & Roses” art for the first time, and to honour that, the collection includes several pieces that feature the iconic graphic art, but with a Levi’s twist on the original colours.
"We wanted to do something that felt authentically rooted in the Grateful Dead’s incredibly rich and unique history, so we dug deep into some of their more nuanced graphics and storytelling," explained Karyn Hillman, Chief Product Officer at Levi Strauss & Co. "It’s a deep dive into Grateful Dead’s storied narrative and devoted fanbase, only remixed through a contemporary lens. And of course, there’s the San Francisco connection between Levi’s® and the Dead that just made this feel like the perfect collaboration."
David Lemieux, Grateful Dead Archivist and Legacy Manager, added that he was fortunate to see the Grateful Dead over 100 times in concert and wore Levi's 531's exclusively to all of those shows, with the exception of warm-weather outdoor shows at which shorts were required.
"I danced hard at the shows, even those I taped, and was always free to move as wildly as the music took me, with full range of mobility thanks to my
531s. Plus, they lasted forever!" added Lemieux. "My jeans were as much a part of my show-going experience as my favourite hat, dancing shoes, and of course my lucky tie-dye shirts. I'm excited to check out the Levi's x Grateful Dead collaboration and rock out with it when I get back to seeing shows."
